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Characterization and multiscale modeling of liquid crystalline materials and their biological analogues. (English) Zbl 1187.76708

Summary: Nematic liquid crystals are textured, anisotropic, viscoelastic materials. The remarkable rheological properties of viscoelastic materials are governed by the flow-induced evolution of molecular configuration. Analogues to liquid crystal flow processes occur in the supramolecular self-assembly processes of living biological tissues. A good understanding of the relationships between rheological properties and microstructural evolution of liquid crystals can provide insights towards a predictive rheology of complex biomaterials. Silk fibers and other biomaterials have embedded a natural structure that is more compatible with other biomaterials, and hence biomedical materials produced from biological inspired microstructures also display enhanced compatibilities.

MSC:

76M20 Finite difference methods applied to problems in fluid mechanics
76D05 Navier-Stokes equations for incompressible viscous fluids
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