Deformation and Failure of Collagenous Tissues: A Multi-Scale Study

Fibrous proteins constitute critical building blocks of life, forming biological materials such as hair, bone, skin, spider silk or cells, which play an important role in providing key mechanical functions in biological systems. However, the fundamental atomistic and molecular deformation and fracture mechanisms of biological protein materials remain largely unknown, partly due to a lack of understanding of how individual protein building blocks respond to mechanical load.