Figure 10.

Illustrations and model outcomes adapted from the report by Xie et al., exploring the dynamic settling behavior of cells on nanostructures. (A) Their adhesion model proposes that, under the appropriate conditions, as a cell settles onto a nanostructure, the membrane will continue to engulf the nanostructure for a short period afterwards. (B) The driving force for engulfment is the relative vertical adhesion force between the membrane and substrate. (C + D) As the remaining contact area decreases with time, so too does the net adhesive force, resulting in a time beyond which the adhesion force becomes less than the penetration force, ultimately making spontaneous penetration increasingly unlikely. (E) The relationship between various geometric, membrane and surface parameters for their adhesion model, where the orange, green and magenta regions indicate the parameter space where penetration is possible, for the corresponding nanowire heights. Adapted with permission.^[59] Copyright 2015, American Chemical Society.