Micromechanics of Self-Assembling Peptides
Abstract
We have studied the sources of error arising in the multiple particle tracking (MPT) technique. We demonstrated how to significantly improve the resolution of the averaged properties measured with this technique. MPT was then applied on KFE8 peptide gels, as well as complementary AFM and quick-freeze TEM experiments. Nearly a decade ago Zhang and coworkers [1] discovered this new class of biomaterials formed from the self-assembly of small self-complimentary oligopeptides. MPT allowed us to follow the evolution of the microrheology of the system during gelation. Studies of the individual probe colloids at different gelation times reveal the evolution of spatial heterogeneity in the gel. Time averaging is performed on these individual tracks to analyze local structural and micromechanical properties. [1] S. Zhang, T. Holmes, C. Lockshin and A. Rich, PNAS, 90:3334-3338, 1993.
- Publication:
-
APS March Meeting Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- March 2004
- Bibcode:
- 2004APS..MAR.R1202S