scholarly journals Best Practices for Quasistatic Berkovich Nanoindentation of Wood Cell Walls

Forests ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (12) ◽  
pp. 1696
Author(s):  
Joseph E. Jakes ◽  
Donald S. Stone

For wood and forest products to reach their full potential as structural materials, experimental techniques are needed to measure mechanical properties across all length scales. Nanoindentation is uniquely suited to probe in situ mechanical properties of micrometer-scale features in forest products, such as individual wood cell wall layers and adhesive bondlines. However, wood science researchers most commonly employ traditional nanoindentation methods that were originally developed for testing hard, inorganic materials, such as metals and ceramics. These traditional methods assume that the tested specimen is rigidly supported, homogeneous, and semi-infinite. Large systematic errors may affect the results when these traditional methods are used to test complex polymeric materials, such as wood cell walls. Wood cell walls have a small, finite size, and nanoindentations can be affected by nearby edges. Wood cell walls are also not rigidly supported, and the cellular structure can flex under loading. Additionally, wood cell walls are softer and more prone to surface detection errors than harder inorganic materials. In this paper, nanoindentation methods for performing quasistatic Berkovich nanoindentations, the most commonly applied nanoindentation technique in forest products research, are presented specifically for making more accurate nanoindentation measurements in materials such as wood cell walls. The improved protocols employ multiload nanoindentations and an analysis algorithm to correct and detect errors associated with surface detection errors and structural compliances arising from edges and specimen-scale flexing. The algorithm also diagnoses other potential issues arising from dirty probes, nanoindenter performance or calibration issues, and displacement drift. The efficacy of the methods was demonstrated using nanoindentations in loblolly pine (Pinus taeda) S2 cell wall layers (S2) and compound corner middle lamellae (CCML). The nanoindentations spanned a large range of sizes. The results also provide new guidelines about the minimum size of nanoindentations needed to make reliable nanoindentation measurements in S2 and CCML.

Fibers ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Camille Goudenhooft ◽  
David Siniscalco ◽  
Olivier Arnould ◽  
Alain Bourmaud ◽  
Olivier Sire ◽  
...  

Forests ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (8) ◽  
pp. 646 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wang ◽  
Chen ◽  
Xie ◽  
Cai ◽  
Yuan ◽  
...  

The local chemistry and mechanics of the control and phenol formaldehyde (PF) resin modified wood cell walls were analyzed to illustrate the modification mechanism of wood. Masson pine (Pinus massoniana Lamb.) is most widely distributed in the subtropical regions of China. However, the dimensional instability and low strength of the wood limits its use. Thus, the wood was modified by PF resin at concentrations of 15%, 20%, 25%, and 30%, respectively. The density, surface morphology, chemical structure, cell wall mechanics, shrinking and swelling properties, and macro-mechanical properties of Masson pine wood were analyzed to evaluate the modification effectiveness. The morphology and Raman spectra changes indicated that PF resin not only filled in the cell lumens, but also penetrated into cell walls and interacted with cell wall polymers. The filling and diffusing of resin in wood resulted in improved dimensional stability, such as lower swelling and shrinking coefficients, an increase in the elastic modulus (Er) and hardness (H) of wood cell walls, the hardness of the transverse section and compressive strength of the wood. Both the dimensional stability and mechanical properties improved as the PF concentration increased to 20%; that is, a PF concentration of 20% may be preferred to modify Masson pine wood.


Coatings ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (7) ◽  
pp. 449 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yan Wu ◽  
Yingchun Sun ◽  
Feng Yang ◽  
Haiqiao Zhang ◽  
Yajing Wang

The waterborne coating uses water as its solvent, which will partially dissolve wood extractives when it is applied to wood surfaces. This influences both the coating curing process and the mechanical properties of the cured coating. To investigate these influences, the mechanical properties of waterborne polyacrylic coating on control and extractive-free wood surfaces were investigated by nanoindentation. Reductions to elastic modulus (Er) and hardness (H) of the coating layer was observed in the wood cell walls adjacent to or away from coating layers. Extraction treatment resulted in significant decrease of the Er and H of the coating layer on extractive-free wood surface comparing with control wood, but the values slightly increased for extractive-free wood cell walls compared to a control. Er and H of coating in wood cell lumen were higher than the average value of coating layer on wood surface in both the control and extractive-free wood. The Er of wood cell wall without coating filled in lumen was significantly higher than those of filling with coating. However, there was no distinct difference of H. The Er and H of CCML in extractive-free wood were 15% and 6% lower than those in control ones, respectively.


Holzforschung ◽  
2002 ◽  
Vol 56 (4) ◽  
pp. 395-401 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. Gindl

Summary Cell-wall lignin content and composition, as well as microfibril angle of normal and compression wood samples were determined prior to mechanical testing in compression parallel to the grain. No effect of increased lignin content on the Young's modulus in compression wood was discernible because of the dominating influence of microfibril angle. In contrast, compressive strength of compression wood was not negatively affected by the high microfibril angle. It is proposed that the observed high lignification in compression wood increases the resistance of the cell walls to compression failure. An increased percentage of p-hydroxyphenylpropane units observed in compression wood lignin may also contribute to the comparably high compressive strength of compression wood.


Author(s):  
Anna Petrova ◽  
Tatyana Gorshkova ◽  
Liudmila Kozlova

Abstract To test the hypothesis that particular tissues can control root growth, we analysed mechanical properties of cell walls belonging to different tissues of the apical part of maize root using atomic-force microscopy. The dynamics of properties during elongation growth were characterised in four consecutive zones of the root. The extensive immunochemical characterization and quantification were used to establish the polysaccharide motif(s) related to changes in cell wall mechanics. Cell transition from division to elongation was coupled to the decrease in the elasticity modulus in all root tissues. Low values of moduli were retained in the elongation zone and increased in late elongation zone. No relationship between the immunolabelling pattern and mechanical properties of the cell walls was revealed. When measured values of elasticity moduli and turgor pressure were used in the computational simulation, this resulted in an elastic response of modelled root and the distribution of stress and strain similar with those observed in vivo. In all analysed root zones, cell walls of the inner cortex displayed moduli of elasticity that were maximal or comparable to the maximal values among all tissues. Thus, we propose that the inner cortex serves as a growth-limiting tissue in maize roots.


Plants ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (6) ◽  
pp. 172 ◽  
Author(s):  
Liudmila Kozlova ◽  
Anna Petrova ◽  
Boris Ananchenko ◽  
Tatyana Gorshkova

The mechanical properties of cell walls play a vital role in plant development. Atomic-force microscopy (AFM) is widely used for characterization of these properties. However, only surface or isolated plant cells have been used for such investigations, at least as non-embedded samples. Theories that claim a restrictive role of a particular tissue in plant growth cannot be confirmed without direct measurement of the mechanical properties of internal tissue cell walls. Here we report an approach of assessing the nanomechanical properties of primary cell walls in the inner tissues of growing plant organs. The procedure does not include fixation, resin-embedding or drying of plant material. Vibratome-derived longitudinal and transverse sections of maize root were investigated by AFM in a liquid cell to track the changes of cell wall stiffness and elasticity accompanying elongation growth. Apparent Young’s modulus values and stiffness of stele periclinal cell walls in the elongation zone of maize root were lower than in the meristem, i.e., cell walls became more elastic and less resistant to an applied force during their elongation. The trend was confirmed using either a sharp or spherical probe. The availability of such a method may promote our understanding of individual tissue roles in the plant growth processes.


2010 ◽  
Vol 113-116 ◽  
pp. 239-242
Author(s):  
Jian Qiu ◽  
Jean Ran Gao ◽  
Mon Lin Kuo ◽  
Jian Li

Since wood is porous it also is a good heat and sound insulating material. Puffing the cell wall may lose certain level of mechanical properties but would increase its insulation properties. In this study, Trema orientalis wood was first treated with nitric acid aqueous solution to damage the S3 layer of cell walls, followed by puffing the cell wall inward with saturated urea and ZnCl2 solutions. Results indicated that treating Trema orientalis with 10% nitric acid at 100 oC for 20 minute damaged the S3 layer of cell walls, and the subsequent treatment with urea and ZnCl2 saturated solutions caused the fiber tracheid walls to swell up to 76%. Then, the swollen material was dried with critical CO2 fluid to obtain puffed wood. SEM examinations of nitric acid-treated samples showed that lignin were removed from the S3 layer surfaces and S3 mirofibrils were ruptured causing the entire secondary walls to swell inward.


2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ben-Min Chang ◽  
Markus Keller

AbstractThe skin protects a fruit from environmental stresses and supports the fruit’s structure. Failure of the skin leads to fruit splitting and may compromise commercial production for fruit growers. The mechanical properties of the cuticle and skin cell walls might influence the splitting susceptibility of fleshy fruits. Thin shell theory and fracture mechanics were utilized in this study to target the potential factors contributing to splitting susceptibility. The study analyzed the structure of the cuticle and epidermis in ripening grape berries and examined the temporal dynamics of berry splitting. Cuticular waxes were partially removed, and skin cell walls were manipulated using wall stiffening and loosening solutions that altered reactions involving hydrogen peroxide. A more than twofold difference in cuticle thickness among grape cultivars did not account for their differences in splitting resistance. However, while removing predominantly epicuticular wax did not alter the berries’ splitting resistance, their surface appearance and increasing yield strength following partial wax removal support the notion that cuticular waxes contribute to berry mechanical properties. Immersing berries in H2O2-based cell wall loosening solutions increased the splitting probability and accelerated berry splitting, whereas cell wall stiffening solutions decreased the splitting probability and delayed berry splitting. These results showed that both cuticle and skin cell walls contribute to the mechanical properties of grape berries and to their splitting resistance. The results also suggest that the two current explanations for fruit splitting, the critical turgor model and the zipper model, should be viewed as complementary rather than incompatible.


eLife ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lucie Riglet ◽  
Frédérique Rozier ◽  
Chie Kodera ◽  
Simone Bovio ◽  
Julien Sechet ◽  
...  

Successful fertilization in angiosperms depends on the proper trajectory of pollen tubes through the pistil tissues to reach the ovules. Pollen tubes first grow within the cell wall of the papilla cells, applying pressure to the cell. Mechanical forces are known to play a major role in plant cell shape by controlling the orientation of cortical microtubules (CMTs), which in turn mediate deposition of cellulose microfibrils (CMFs). Here, by combining imaging, genetic and chemical approaches, we show that isotropic reorientation of CMTs and CMFs in aged Col-0 and katanin1-5 (ktn1-5) papilla cells is accompanied by a tendency of pollen tubes to coil around the papillae. We show that this coiled phenotype is associated with specific mechanical properties of the cell walls that provide less resistance to pollen tube growth. Our results reveal an unexpected role for KTN1 in pollen tube guidance on the stigma by ensuring mechanical anisotropy of the papilla cell wall.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wenlong Li ◽  
Sedighe Keynia ◽  
Samuel A. Belteton ◽  
Faezeh Afshar-Hatam ◽  
Daniel B. Szymanski ◽  
...  

AbstractAn integrated, experimental-computational approach is presented to analyze the variation of elastic bending behavior in the primary cell wall of living Arabidopsis thaliana pavement cells and to measure turgor pressure in the cells quantitatively under different osmotic conditions. Mechanical properties, size and geometry of cells and internal turgor pressure greatly influence their morphogenesis. Computational models of plant morphogenesis require values for wall elastic modulus and turgor pressure but very few experiments were designed to validate the results using measurements that deform the entire thickness of the cell wall. Because new wall material is deposited from inside the cell, full-thickness deformations are needed to quantify relevant changes associated with cell development. The approach here uses laser scanning confocal microscopy to measure the three-dimensional geometry of a single pavement cell, and indentation experiments equipped with high magnification objective lens to probe the local mechanical responses across the same cell wall. These experimental results are matched iteratively using a finite element model of the experiment to determine the local mechanical properties, turgor pressure, and cell height. The resulting modulus distribution along the periclinal wall is shown to be nonuniform. These results are consistent with the characteristics of plant cell walls which have a heterogeneous organization. This research and the resulting model will provide a reference for future work associated with the heterogeneity and anisotropy of mechanical properties of plant cell walls in order to understand morphogenesis of the primary cell walls during growth and to predict quantitatively the magnitudes/directions of cell wall forces.One sentence summaryThe distribution of elastic modulus of the periclinal cell walls of livingArabidopsis epidermis is nonuniform as measured by bending the entire thickness of the wall.HighlightsExperimental characterization of the spatial distribution of elastic bending behavior across the periclinal wallQuantification of the turgor pressure of the living plant epidermal cells validated with osmotic treatmentsQuantification of the effect of cell geometry on the measured mechanical responseGraphical abstract


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