Biology of Fibrous Composites: Development beyond the Cell Membrane [Hardcover]

This book is devoted to fibrous composites in biology, tackling a major unsolved problem in developmental biology - how does chemistry create architecture outside cells?This book is the first devoted to this subject. It tackles a major unsolved problem in developmental biology - how does chemistry create architecture outside cells? Fibrous composites occur in all skeletal systems including plant cell walls, insect cuticles, moth eggshells, bone and cornea. They function like man-made fibreglass, with fibres set in a matrix. The underlying hypothesis of this book is that the fibres are orientated by self- assembly just outside the cells during a mobile liquid crystalline phase prior to stabilizationThis book is the first devoted to this subject. It tackles a major unsolved problem in developmental biology - how does chemistry create architecture outside cells? Fibrous composites occur in all skeletal systems including plant cell walls, insect cuticles, moth eggshells, bone and cornea. They function like man-made fibreglass, with fibres set in a matrix. The underlying hypothesis of this book is that the fibres are orientated by self- assembly just outside the cells during a mobile liquid crystalline phase prior to stabilizationThis book tackles a major unsolved problem in developmental biology--how does chemistry create architecture outside cells? The underlying hypothesis of this book is that the fibers are orientated by self-assembly just outside the cells during a mobile liquid crystalline phase prior to stabilization; the author demonstrates that the commonest orientations of the fibers are plywood laminates (orthogonal and helicoidal), and as parallel fibers. Finally, he shows that these may be imitated in the laboratory by liquid crystalline chemicals. Many fine photographs will aid the initiated in recognizing the various kinds of fibers.1. Defining the subject; 2. The occurrence of fibrous composites; 3. Properties of natural plywoods; 4. Biomimickry: makil3&