Issue 34, 2013

Softly constrained films

Abstract

The shape of materials is often subject to a number of geometric constraints that limit the size of the system or fix the structure of its boundary. In soft and biological materials, however, these constraints are not always hard, but are due to other physical mechanisms that affect the overall force balance. A capillary film spanning a flexible piece of wire and a cell anchored to a compliant substrate by means of adhesive contacts are examples of these softly constrained systems in the macroscopic and microscopic world. In this article I review some of the important mathematical and physical developments that contributed to our understanding of shape formation in softly constrained films and their recent application to the mechanics of adherent cells.

Graphical abstract: Softly constrained films

Article information

Article type
Review Article
Submitted
15 Feb 2013
Accepted
03 Apr 2013
First published
17 May 2013

Soft Matter, 2013,9, 8121-8139

Softly constrained films

L. Giomi, Soft Matter, 2013, 9, 8121 DOI: 10.1039/C3SM50484K

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