What is the function of sacrificial bonds?

What is the function of sacrificial bonds?

Using an atomic force microscope, they stretched the collagen molecules and found so-called sacrificial bonds that can break and reform, which means the collagen keeps extending and absorbing energy without rupturing the backbone of the structure.

What are sacrificial bonds in bones made of?

However, the origin of toughness is still somewhat mysterious. In an article on page 773 of this issue, Thompson and colleagues1 suggest that collagen — the main organic constituent of bone — has ‘sacrificial bonds’ that are broken upon loading without significantly harming the bone.

What is a sacrificial bond in biology?

Sacrificial bonds are defined as bonds that break before the main structural link (often the molecular backbone) is broken (7). These bonds are frequently weaker than the covalent bonds of molecular backbones. The hidden length is defined as the part of the molecule that was constrained from stretching by the sacrificial bond.

What does sacrificial mean?

Sacrificial is used to describe things that involve a sacrifice —something important or precious that is given up for the sake of gaining something or allowing something to happen that is considered more important.

Do sacrificial bonds increase fracture toughness of biomaterials?

Sacrificial bonds and hidden length in structural molecules and composites have been found to greatly increase the fracture toughness of biomaterials by providing a reversible, molecular-scale energy-dissipation mechanism.

How is sacrifice used outside of religion?

Sacrifice is commonly used outside of religious contexts. Sacrificial can also be used in general ways, but it is perhaps most closely associated with its religious uses. The central figure of Christianity, Jesus, is viewed by Christians as a sacrificial figure who served as a sacrifice for the sake of human salvation.