Premium
Optical characterization of orientation of collagen
Author(s) -
Chang E. P.,
Chien James C. W.
Publication year - 1973
Publication title -
biopolymers
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.556
H-Index - 125
eISSN - 1097-0282
pISSN - 0006-3525
DOI - 10.1002/bip.1973.360121209
Subject(s) - birefringence , amorphous solid , chemistry , phase (matter) , distortion (music) , orientation (vector space) , strain (injury) , frame work , optics , crystallography , condensed matter physics , materials science , optoelectronics , physics , geometry , organic chemistry , mathematics , medicine , amplifier , cmos , particle physics
The optical properties of reconstituted collagen were characterized in the frame‐work of a two‐phase model. The total birefringence is assumed to be the sum of form birefringence Δ F , of amorphous birefringence Δ a , and of crystalline birefringence Δ c . The contribution of Δ F has been determined as a function of strain. The intrinsic values of Δ c and Δ a were calculated to be 0.24 ± 0.06 and 0.055 ± 0.018, respectively. In the undeformed state, the observed birefringence is almost entirely due to the distortion of the electric field of the light at the phase boundary. Whereas there is a slight increase of form birefringence with increasing strain, the total birefringence shows much larger increments. The latter is attributable to orientation of the rodlike superstructures of the tropocollagen molecules.