The effects of fibre spatial distribution and relative orientation on the percolation and mechanics of stochastic fibre networks: A model of peptide hydrogels

The structures of fibre networks can vary greatly due to fibre interactions during formation. We have modified the steps of generating Mikado networks to create two new model classes by altering the spatial distribution and relative orientation of their fibres to mimic the structures of self-assembling peptide hydrogels (SAPHs), whose physical properties depend strongly on their fibres’ interactions. The results of our models and experiments on a set of beta-sheet forming SAPHs show that modifying a network’s structure affects the percolation threshold and the mechanical behaviour of the material, both near percolation and at higher densities.