Influence of Load on Order-Disorder Transitions in Collagen Fibers

Abstract

The influence of external stress on the hydrothermal and chemical contraction of native collagen was investigated. The coincidence of isometric and isotonic data was observed. This permits the consideration of the isometric curve from the beginning of contraction to the critical point as a phase diagram of the system in coordinates of stress temperature. The existence of a certain critical tension and a corresponding critical temperature or of a critical tension and critical KCNS concentration is suggested. This result is in accordance with the predictions of the theory of order-disorder transitions in these unidimensional systems. Using the formulas of this theory we calculated the enthalpy of the hydrothermal contraction of collagen, the enrichment of salt for its chemical contraction and the cooperativity parameters for both processes.

Foreword

“…[3] Soon thereafter, B. M. Ginzburg and his postgraduate students performed a large series of studies [4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20] on the supramolecular structure of flexible-chain semicrystalline polymers and its changes with various kinds of mechanical, thermal, and other effects. As a result of these studies, a new physical understanding of the deformation of polymers of this type has been developed whereby a significant and often decisive contribution to the deformation of samples at the microlevel involves the shear strain of the crystals.…”