Two plateau moduli for actin gels

TL;DR

This paper proposes that actin gels exhibit two distinct plateau moduli at different frequencies due to the differing effects of longitudinal and transverse hindrance, resolving previous experimental and theoretical contradictions.

Contribution

It introduces the concept of two separate plateau regimes in actin solutions, highlighting the importance of anisotropic hindrance effects on viscoelastic behavior.

Findings

Identification of two distinct plateau moduli regimes

Explanation of the role of longitudinal and transverse hindrance

Resolution of conflicting experimental results

Abstract

Conflicting experimental results have been reported for the plateau modulus in actin solutions: Analogies are often made with the viscoelastic behaviour of flexible polymers making use of the idea of entanglement as the source of the macroscopic storage modulus. We resolve apparent experimental and theoretical contradictions by pointing out the possibility of two distinct plateau regimes as a function of frequency in semidilute solutions of semiflexible polymers. We make the point that longitudinal and transverse hindrance can have very different effects at the macroscopic scale.