=John Bassani, Ph.D.=

=John Bassani, Ph.D.=

The adhered state of shells, including thin films and biological cells, is strongly influenced by a variety of mechanical factors, which include chemistry-dependent adhesive interactions at interfaces.  Transitions between bistable snapped-in and snapped-out configurations are predicted from a model that includes nonlinear shell kinematics coupled with elastic material response and an adhesion law.  Non-uniform energy and traction fields are a general signature of adhered states.  Coupling between these spatially non-uniform fields can result in segregation of chemical species that directly affects equilibrium states. One example occurring in biology is the enhanced adhesion of closed vesicles (e.g., cells) via integrin segregation in membranes. Surface topography is found to have a strong influence on adhered configurations including the distributions of adhesive species and tractions.

The adhered state of shells, including thin films and biological cells, is strongly influenced by a variety of mechanical factors, which include chemistry-dependent adhesive interactions at interfaces.  Transitions between bistable snapped-in and snapped-out configurations are predicted from a model that includes nonlinear shell kinematics coupled with elastic material response and an adhesion law.  Non-uniform energy and traction fields are a general signature of adhered states.  Coupling between these spatially non-uniform fields can result in segregation of chemical species that directly affects equilibrium states. One example occurring in biology is the enhanced adhesion of closed vesicles (e.g., cells) via integrin segregation in membranes. Surface topography is found to have a strong influence on adhered configurations including the distributions of adhesive species and tractions.