fibril
Sign in to savethumb|399x399px|Hierarchical structure of hair in the cortex and cuticle, highlighting the scale which defines fibrils.
Article
17 sectionsContents
- Structure and mechanics
- Contributions to mechanical properties of biomaterials
- Natural processes
- In animals
- Collagen
- [[Actin]] and [[myosin]]
- [[Elastin]] and [[keratin]]
- [[Resilin]] and [[spider silk]]
- In plants
- Cellulose
- Amylose
- Wood
- Biomimicry and fibrils
- Self-cleaning properties
- A mature bone matrix
- See also
- References
thumb|399x399px|Hierarchical structure of hair in the cortex and cuticle, highlighting the scale which defines fibrils.
Fibrils () are structural biological materials found in nearly all living organisms. Not to be confused with fibers or filaments, fibrils tend to have diameters ranging from 10 to 100 nanometers (whereas fibers are micro to milli-scale structures and filaments have diameters approximately 10–50 nanometers in size). Fibrils are not usually found alone but rather are parts of greater hierarchical structures commonly found in biological systems. Due to the prevalence of fibrils in biological systems, their study is of great importance in the fields of microbiology, biomechanics, and materials science.