The effects of fibre spatial distribution and relative orientation on the percolation and mechanics of stochastic fibre networks: A model of peptide hydrogels

TL;DR

This study models how fibre spatial distribution and orientation influence the percolation and mechanical properties of peptide hydrogel networks, providing insights into their structure-property relationships.

Contribution

It introduces modified Mikado network models that mimic peptide hydrogel structures by altering fibre distribution and orientation.

Findings

Modifying fibre arrangement affects percolation threshold.

Structural changes influence mechanical behaviour near percolation.

Experimental results confirm model predictions.

Abstract

The structures of fibre networks can vary greatly due to fibre interactions during formation. We have modified the steps of generating Mikado networks to create two new model classes by altering the spatial distribution and relative orientation of their fibres to mimic the structures of self-assembling peptide hydrogels (SAPHs), whose physical properties depend strongly on their fibres' interactions. The results of our models and experiments on a set of beta-sheet forming SAPHs show that modifying a network's structure affects the percolation threshold and the mechanical behaviour of the material, both near percolation and at higher densities.