A microscopically motivated model for particle penetration into swollen biological networks

Roni Sverdlov Arzi, Alejandro Sosnik, Noy Cohen

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

2 Scopus citations

Abstract

Biological gels (bio-gels) are hydrated polymer networks that serve diverse biological functions, which often lead to intentional or unintentional exposure to particulate matter. In this work, we derive a microscopically motivated framework that enables the investigation of penetration mechanisms into bio-gels. We distinguish between two types of mechanisms: spontaneous (unforced) penetration and forced penetration. Using experimental data available in the literature, we exploit the proposed model to characterize and compare between the microstructures of respiratory, intestinal, and cervicovaginal mucus and two types of biofilms. Next, we investigate the forced penetration process of spherical and ellipsoidal particles into a locally quadrilateral network. The proposed framework can be used to improve and complement the analysis of experimental findings in vitro, ex vivo, and in vivo. Additionally, the insights from this work pave the way towards enhanced designs of nano-medicines and allow the assessment of risk factors related to the nano-pollutants exposure.

Original languageEnglish
Article number1912
JournalPolymers
Volume12
Issue number9
DOIs
StatePublished - 1 Sep 2020
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Biofilms
  • Gels
  • Mucus
  • Multi-scale modeling
  • Particles
  • Penetration mechanisms

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General Chemistry
  • Polymers and Plastics

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