Structure and Mechanics of Bundled Semiflexible Polymer Networks

Fibrous networks of semiflexible polymers are prevalent in biological materials such as connective tissues, the cytoskeleton, and biofilm extracellular matrices. While the mechanical behavior of permanently cross-linked fibrous networks has been studied in detail, much less is understood about how bundles and physical entanglements influence the response of semiflexible polymer networks. Here we use coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulations...