Lateral indentation of a thin elastic film.

Indentation is a standard, widely used technique in mechanical assays and theoretical analysis. It unveils the fundamental modes of deformation and predicts the response of the material under more complex loads. Here we present an experimental setup for testing thin-film materials by studying the lateral indentation of a narrow opening cut into a film, triggering a cascade of buckling events. The force response F is dominated by bending and stretching effects for small displacements and slowly varies with indenter displacement F ∼ d2/5, to finally reach a wrinkled state that results in a robust nonlinear asymptotic relation, F ∼ d4. Experiments with films of various thicknesses and material properties, and numerical simulations confirm our analysis and help to define an order parameter that accounts for the different response regimes observed in experiments and simulations.

Nature of Crack Path Instabilities in Thin Sheets Cut by Blunt Objects.

Cutting a brittle thin sheet with a blunt object leaves an oscillating crack that seemingly violates the principle of local symmetry for fracture. We experimentally find that at a critical value of a well chosen control parameter the straight propagation is unstable and leads to an oscillatory pattern whose amplitude and wavelength grow by increasing the control parameter. We propose a simple model that unifies this instability with a related problem, namely that of a perforated sheet, where through a similar bifurcation a series of radial cracks spontaneously spiral around each other. We argue that both patterns originate from the same instability.

Intertwined Multiple Spiral Fracture in Perforated Sheets.

We study multiple tearing of a thin, elastic, brittle sheet indented with a rigid cone. The n cracks initially prepared symmetrically propagate radially for n≥4. However, if n<4 the radial symmetry is broken and fractures spontaneously intertwine along logarithmic spiral paths, respecting order n rotational symmetry. In the limit of very thin sheets, we find that fracture mechanics is reduced to a geometrical model that correctly predicts the maximum number of spirals to be strictly 4, together with their growth rate and the perforation force. Similar spirals are also observed in a different tearing experiment (this time up to n=4, in agreement with the model), in which bending energy of the sheet is dominant.

Buckling mediated by mobile localized elastic excitations.

Experiments reveal that structural transitions in thin sheets are mediated by the passage of transient and stable mobile localized elastic excitations. These "crumples" or "d-cones" nucleate, propagate, interact, annihilate, and escape. Much of the dynamics occurs on millisecond time scales. Nucleation sites correspond to regions where generators of the ideal unstretched surface converge. Additional stable intermediate states illustrate two forms of quasistatic inter-crumple interaction through ridges or valleys. These interactions create pairs from which extended patterns may be constructed in larger specimens. The onset of localized transient deformation with increasing sheet size is correlated with a characteristic stable crumple size, whose measured scaling with thickness is consistent with prior theory and experiment for localized elastic features in thin sheets. We offer a new theoretical justification of this scaling.

Forbidden directions for the fracture of thin anisotropic sheets: an analogy with the Wulff plot.

It is often postulated that quasistatic cracks propagate along the direction allowing fracture for the lowest load. Nevertheless, this statement is debated, in particular for anisotropic materials. We performed tearing experiments in anisotropic brittle thin sheets that validate this principle in the case of weak anisotropy. We also predict the existence of forbidden directions and facets in strongly anisotropic materials, through an analogy with the description of equilibrium shapes in crystals. However, we observe cracks that do not necessarily follow the easiest direction but can select a harder direction, which is only locally more advantageous than neighboring paths. These results challenge the traditional description of fracture propagation, and we suggest a modified, less restrictive criterion compatible with our experimental observations.

Wettability of Amino Acid-Functionalized PSMA Electrospun Fibers for the Modulated Release of Active Agents and Its Effect on Their Bioactivity.

The ideal treatment for chronic wounds is based on the use of bioactive dressings capable of releasing active agents. However, the control of the rate at which these active agents are released is still a challenge. Bioactive polymeric fiber mats of poly(styrene-co-maleic anhydride) [PSMA] functionalized with amino acids of different hydropathic indices and L-glutamine, L-phenylalanine and L-tyrosine levels allowed obtaining derivatives of the copolymers named PSMA@Gln, PSMA@Phe and PSMA@Tyr, respectively, with the aim of modulating the wettability of the mats. The bioactive characteristics of mats were obtained by the incorporation of the active agents Calendula officinalis (Cal) and silver nanoparticles (AgNPs). A higher wettability for PSMA@Gln was observed, which is in accordance with the hydropathic index value of the amino acid. However, the release of AgNPs was higher for PSMA and more controlled for functionalized PSMA (PSMAf), while the release curves of Cal did not show behavior related to the wettability of the mats due to the apolar character of the active agent. Finally, the differences in the wettability of the mats also affected their bioactivity, which was evaluated in bacterial cultures of Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923 and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 33592, an NIH/3T3 fibroblast cell line and red blood cells.

Coaxial fibers of poly(styrene-co-maleic anhydride)@poly(vinyl alcohol) for wound dressing applications: Dual and sustained delivery of bioactive agents promoting fibroblast proliferation with reduced cell adherence.

The prevalence of chronic and acute wounds, as well as the complexity of their treatment represent a great challenge for health systems around the world. In this context, the development of bioactive wound dressings that release active agents to prevent infections and promote wound healing, appears as the most promising solution. In this work, we develop an antibacterial and biocompatible wound dressing material made from coaxial electrospun fibers of poly(styrene-co-maleic anhydride) and poly(vinyl alcohol) (PSMA@PVA). The coaxial configuration of the fibers consists of a shell of poly (styrene-co-maleic anhydride) containing a variable concentration of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) 0.1-0.6 wt% as antibacterial agent, and a core of PVA containing 1 wt% allantoin as healing agent. The fibers present diameters between 0.72 and 1.7 µm. The release of Ag+ in a physiological medium was studied for 72 h, observing a burst release during the first 14 h and then a sustained and controlled release during the remaining 58 h. Allantoin release curves showed significant release only after 14 h. The meshes showed an antibacterial activity against Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Bacillus subtilis that correlates with the amount of AgNPs incorporated and the release rate of Ag+. Indeed, meshes containing 0.3 and 0.6 wt% of AgNPs showed a 99.99% inhibition against both bacteria. The adherence and cell viability of the meshes were evaluated in mouse embryonic fibroblasts NIH/3T3, observing a significant increase in cell viability after 72 h of incubation accompanied by a reduced adhesion of fibroblasts that decreased in the presence of the active agents. These results show that the material prepared here is capable of significantly promoting fibroblast cell proliferation but without strong adherence, which makes it an ideal material for wound dressings with non-adherent characteristics and with potential for wound healing.

Does Bacterial Elasticity Affect Adhesion to Polymer Fibers?

The factors governing bacterial adhesion to substrates with different topographies are still not fully identified. The present work seeks to elucidate for the first time and with quantitative data the roles of bacterial elasticity and shape and substrate topography in bacterial adhesion. With this aim, populations of three bacterial species, P. aeruginosa DSM 22644, B. subtilis DSM 10, and S. aureus DSM 20231 adhered on flat substrates covered with electrospun polycaprolactone fibers of different diameters ranging from 0.4 to 5.5 µm are counted. Populations of bacterial cells are classified according to the preferred binding sites of the bacteria to the substrate. The colloidal probe technique was used to assess the stiffness of the bacteria and bacteria-polymer surface adhesion energy. A theoretical model is developed to interpret the observed populations in terms of a balance between stiffness and adhesion energy of the bacteria. The model, which also incorporates the radius of the fiber and the size and shape of the bacteria, predicts increased adhesion for a low level of stiffness and for a larger number of available bacteria-fiber contact points. Te adhesive propensity of bacteria depends in a nontrivial way on the radius of the fibers due to the random arrangement of fibers.

Tearing as a test for mechanical characterization of thin adhesive films.

Thin adhesive films have become increasingly important in applications involving packaging, coating or for advertising. Once a film is adhered to a substrate, flaps can be detached by tearing and peeling, but they narrow and collapse in pointy shapes. Similar geometries are observed when peeling ultrathin films grown or deposited on a solid substrate, or skinning the natural protective cover of a ripe fruit. Here, we show that the detached flaps have perfect triangular shapes with a well-defined vertex angle; this is a signature of the conversion of bending energy into surface energy of fracture and adhesion. In particular, this triangular shape of the tear encodes the mechanical parameters related to these three forms of energy and could form the basis of a quantitative assay for the mechanical characterization of thin adhesive films, nanofilms deposited on substrates or fruit skin.

Dynamics of developable cones under shear.

We identify and study a persistent structure characteristic of the post-buckling regime of a thin cylindrical shell subjected to axial torsion. It consists of a pair of developable cones ( d cones) joined by an S-shaped ridge, having a size of the order of the radius of the cylinder. We study its formation by applying a concentrated load at the center of the shell, which creates an isolated pair of d cones, joined by a straight ridge that progressively tilts when a torsion angle is imposed. We interpret this response as the equilibrium state of a pair of interacting d cones in the presence of an in-plane shear field, created by axial torsion, which tends to drive them away from each other. We find that the amplitude of displacement of the d cones for a given torsion angle is amplified by decreasing the thickness of the sheet, therefore concluding that the equilibrium state is the result of a balance between bending and stretching energies. We propose a model where the driving effect is the coupling between the deformation field around the d cones and the imposed shear field, while the stabilizing effect is the increasing bending energy of the system.

Effect of packing fraction on shear band formation in a granular material forced by a penetrometer.

Granular ensembles subjected to confinement forces can reach metastable states that often break down via formation of shear bands for sufficiently high deviatoric stress. In this article we investigate the flow induced in a granular ensemble that is perturbed by a vertically moving finger in a quasiplanar geometry. The flow exhibits spiral-like shear bands and evolves discontinuously in time, in concert with an oscillating penetration force. We characterize the nature of this nucleation-relaxation type process for loose to dense packing fractions. The nucleation dynamics is reasonably well described by a simple Mohr-Coulomb failure criterium in which the friction coefficient is a function of packing fraction. We contrast our findings with the recent work of Gravish et al. [Phys. Rev. Lett. 105, 128301 (2010)].

Dynamics of shear bands in a dense granular material forced by a slowly moving rigid body.

We experimentally investigate the flow field in plane geometry around a slowly moving rigid finger in a dry, randomly packed granular medium. The finger enters the medium vertically from its free surface, in analogy with indentation tests on ductile materials. By developing a particle imaging velocimetry technique, we identify a localized flow around the finger, limited by two nearly symmetric shear bands that nucleate near the fingertip and reach the free surface of the granular compact. Evolution of the shear bands is discontinuous, exhibiting nucleation-relaxation processes as the finger moves downward. We present a simple model accounting for the shape of the shear bands at early stages of nucleation. We measure the force applied by the finger and the sources of dilation as well. A mechanism that relates local dilations to the total volume increase of the medium is proposed.

Developable modes in vibrated thin plates.

We investigate the normal modes of a developable cone singularity as observed in a circular sheet supported by a rigid circular frame and pushed at its center. When the center of the sheet is in addition submitted to a sinusoidal forcing, two types of bending modes, named here rolling and tilt modes, are parametrically excited. The rolling mode is an angular oscillation of the concave sector of the developable cone structure. If the amplitude of vibration is high enough, the rolling mode amplitude increases dramatically giving rise to both a continuous rotation of the concave sector and a material angular displacement of the sheet, similar to that produced by a moving wrinkle in a carpet.