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2016 (English)In: Journal of The Mechanical Behavior of Biomedical Materials, ISSN 1751-6161, E-ISSN 1878-0180, Vol. 54, p. 185-193Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]
The mechanical resistance of the stratum corneum, the outermost layer of skin, to deformation has been evaluated at different length scales using Atomic Force Microscopy. Nanomechanical surface mapping was first conducted using a sharp silicon tip and revealed that Young’s modulus of the stratum corneum varied over the surface with a mean value of about 0.4 GPa. Force indentation measurements showed permanent deformation of the skin surface only at high applied loads (above 4 μN). The latter effect was further demonstrated using nanomechanical imaging in which the obtained depth profiles clearly illustrate the effects of increased normal force on the elastic/plastic surface deformation. Force measurements utilizing the single hair fiber probe supported the nanoindentation results of the stratum corneum being highly elastic at the nanoscale, but revealed that the lateral scale of the deformation determines the effective elastic modulus.This result resolves the fact that the reported values in the literature vary greatly and will help to understand the biophysics of the interaction of razor cut hairs that curl back during growth and interact with the skin.
Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Elsevier, 2016
Keywords
Atomic Force Microscopy, Hair, Mechanical properties, Stratum corneum
National Category
Other Chemistry Topics Biophysics Manufacturing, Surface and Joining Technology
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:ri:diva-107 (URN)10.1016/j.jmbbm.2015.09.014 (DOI)2-s2.0-84944111754 (Scopus ID)
2016-04-282016-04-282024-06-20Bibliographically approved