Call for Abstract Submission to EMI 2018 (MS76): Mechanics of Emerging Polymers with Unprecedented Networks

Dear Colleagues,

You are cordially invited to submit your one-page abstract to our Mini-Symposium (MS76) "Mechanics of Emerging Polymers with Unprecedented Networks" for

Engineering Mechanics Institute Conference 2018 (EMI 2018)

Date & Location:

Massachusetts Institute of Technology, May 29, 2018 - June 1, 2018

Guidelines for submission of Abstracts, as well as further information regarding the congress, may be found at the website: https://umi.mit.edu/mini-symposia

Deadline for submission of Abstracts is January 31, 2018.

Co-organizers:

Ying Li, University of Connecticut, Qiming Wang, University of Southern California Franck Vernerey, University of Colorado, Boulder

Abstract

Polymeric materials have been extensively used in aerospace, petrochemical, environment and energy industries. Comparing to classical metallic materials, polymers demonstrate some interesting and unique mechanical properties. In particular, polymers with dynamic bonds have shown great capability in adapting their environment and exhibiting unprecedented properties, such as high-toughness, self-healing, and mechanochromism. In this emerging field, dynamic bonds, including reversible covalent bonds and non-covalent bonds (such as ionic bonds, hydrogen bonds, metal-ligand coordinations and hydrophobic interactions), have been utilized to program macroscopic responses of polymers by regulating their molecular architectures. From a fundamental perspective, development of predictive models that connect the macroscopic mechanical behavior of these polymers to the corresponding molecular mechanisms is a challenging endeavor. The proposed symposium will address recent experimental, computational and theoretical advances in this burgeoning field. Topics of particular interest include: (a) Tough hydrogels and elastomers; (b) Self-healing polymers; (c) Mechanochemically responsive polymers; (d) Covalently adaptable polymers; (e) Photoresponsive polymers; and (f) Electromagnetically responsive polymers. The goal of this symposium is to bring together researchers with a variety of backgrounds to exchange ideas, identify and address grand challenges, and to initiate new areas of research.