Open Access

REVIEW

Self-assembly Mechanisms in Plant Cell Wall Components

Yogesh K. Murugesan¹, Damiano Pasini², Alejandro D. Rey^1,*

1 Department of Chemical Engineering, McGill University, 3610 University Street, Montreal, Quebec, H3A 2B2, Canada
2 Department of Mechanical Engineering, McGill University, 817 Sherbrooke West, Montreal, Quebec, H3A 2K6, Canada

* Corresponding Author:

Journal of Renewable Materials 2015, 3(1), 56-72. https://doi.org/10.7569/JRM.2014.634124

Received 17 September 2014; Accepted 10 November 2014;

Abstract

This review on self-assembly in biological fi brous composites presents theory and simulation to elucidate the principles and mechanisms that govern the thermodynamics, material science, and rheology of biological anisotropic soft matter that are involved in the growth/self-assembly/material processing of these materials. Plant cell wall, a multi-layered biological fi brous composite, is presented as a model biological system to investigate self-assembly mechanisms in nature’s material synthesis. In order to demonstrate the universality of the presented models and the mechanisms investigated, references to other biological/ biomimetic systems are made when applicable. The integration of soft matter physics theories and models with actual biological data for plant cell walls provides a foundation for understanding growth, form, and function in biological material and offers a fi rm platform for biomimetic innovation.

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Keywords

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