PIRSA:13120023

Video URL

https://pirsa.org/13120023

Double twist liquid crystal model of collagen structure

Brown, A. (2013). Double twist liquid crystal model of collagen structure. Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics. https://pirsa.org/13120023

Brown, Aidan. Double twist liquid crystal model of collagen structure. Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics, Dec. 05, 2013, https://pirsa.org/13120023 

          @misc{ scivideos_PIRSA:13120023,
            doi = {10.48660/13120023},
            url = {https://pirsa.org/13120023},
            author = {Brown, Aidan},
            keywords = {},
            language = {en},
            title = {Double twist liquid crystal model of collagen structure},
            publisher = {Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics},
            year = {2013},
            month = {dec},
            note = {PIRSA:13120023 see, \url{https://scivideos.org/index.php/pirsa/13120023}}
          }

Aidan Brown Dalhousie University

Talk numberPIRSA:13120023
DOI10.48660/13120023
Source RepositoryPIRSA
Collection
Talk Type Conference

Abstract

Collagen is the main component of connective tissue and the most abundant protein in mammals. The structure of collagen is hierarchical with the triple-helical molecules organizing into fibrils and fibrils contained in higher-order arrangements. A fibril may be considered as a liquid crystal of individual triple helices. Their chiral molecular structure can lead to a macroscopic helical arrangement known as the cholesteric phase which has been observed in fragments of collagen fibrils. The cholesteric orientation can vary with radial distance in the fibril as a double twist. We numerically minimize mean-field Frank free energy in the bulk to solve for the liquid crystal orientation as a function of radial distance (r). By also considering surface terms the overall energy per fibril area is minimized to find the optimal fibril radius R and molecule orientation on the fibril surface (R) both of which may be compared to experimental measurements.