Materials World Network: Structural design and micromechanical properties of mechanotransducing biological materials

• Applicant: Professorin Yael Politi, Ph.D.
• Subject Area: Biomaterials ; Experimental Condensed Matter Physics
• Term: from 2012 to 2017
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 220144857

The merit of the project is in the understanding of principles found in natural vibrational receptors and the mechanism of mechanical signal detection from the spider slit biosensory system at the material level. The investigation of the direct spatial correlation among cuticule morphology, hierarchical structural organization and spatial distribution of micromechanical properties in spider stress-sensing slit-sensilla will be a crucial point of this project. We will explore the time-dependent micromechanical properties of these mechano-receptors embedded in the spider exoskeleton with high spatial resolution (down to a few nanometers) and relate the findings to the function of these organs as sensitive and selective vibration filters. We suggest that the micromechanical properties of the cuticle, which are dependent on the protein nanofiber arrangement and orientation as well as the properties of the protein matrix around the slits, are key parameters for the time-dependent mechanical response during slit compression and the efficient transmittance and filtering of external mechanical stimuli. Ultimately, this knowledge can be utilized in the future design and development of bio-inspired mechanoresponsive and adaptive nanostructured materials. In our study, we will address several important questions: How do the spatial chemical composition and molecular/supramolecular structural organization of biological materials define localized mechanical properties? How can time-dependent mechanical behavior of biosensory receptors be correlated with sensitive high-pass filtering properties? What are the limits of spatial and deformational detection in biomaterials under vibrational stimuli? Which major elements of elastic, viscoelastic, and dynamic deformational modes of biomaterials might be considered for future bioinspired design of synthetic hierarchical adaptive materials?

• DFG Programme: Research Grants