Computational study of human hair provides insights into structure of its poorly understood outer surface
Wednesday, January 16, 2013 - 09:30
in Physics & Chemistry
Human hair is a complex, multi-layered material, the composition of which is only partly established. Hair fibers are sheathed in a thin protective coating called the epicuticle, but despite its industrial importance—the epicuticle is the first surface with which hair products interact—the exact structure of this layer is unknown. Now, a theoretical model of epicuticle structure developed at the A*STAR Institute of High Performance Computing (IHPC) has revealed the likely composition and properties of hair's outer surface. The model, developed by Daniel Cheong and his co-workers at IHPC, is already helping to resolve apparent discrepancies over epicuticle structure.