Working Paper Article Version 1 This version is not peer-reviewed

A Microscopically Motivated Model for Particle Penetration into Swollen Biological Networks

Version 1 : Received: 6 August 2020 / Approved: 7 August 2020 / Online: 7 August 2020 (04:03:13 CEST)

A peer-reviewed article of this Preprint also exists.

Arzi, R.S.; Sosnik, A.; Cohen, N. A Microscopically Motivated Model for Particle Penetration into Swollen Biological Networks. Polymers 2020, 12, 1912. Arzi, R.S.; Sosnik, A.; Cohen, N. A Microscopically Motivated Model for Particle Penetration into Swollen Biological Networks. Polymers 2020, 12, 1912.

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 literature, we exploit the proposed model to characterize and compare between the micro-structures 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 to assess risk factors related to the nano-pollutants exposure.

Keywords

Penetration mechanisms; gels, particles; mucus, biofilms; multi-scale modeling

Subject

Chemistry and Materials Science, Polymers and Plastics

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