Mechanical characterization of soft silicone gels via spherical nanoindentation for applications in mechanobiology

Journal Tittle: Acta Mechanica Sinica

Article Tittle: Mechanical characterization of soft silicone gels via spherical nanoindentation for applications in mechanobiology

Author: Yajun Zhang, Xiaoning Yang, Chunyang Xiong

Novelty/impact/significance

An alternative method was developed for the nanoindentation technique to reduce or even eliminate the effect of interfacial adhesions with the aid of some specified buffers. With this method, we revealed that the dependence of the CY52-276 silicone gels’ Young’s modulus on the mixing ratios of monomer to curing agent satisfied a dose-response relation.

Scientific question

Investigated the mechanical characterization of soft silicone gels via spherical nanoindentation for applications in mechanobiology.

Key of how

By introducing some specific buffers to reduce or even eliminate the effect of interfacial adhesions, nanoindentation technique was used to quantitatively analysis the mechanical characterization of soft silicone gels with different mixing ratios and various curing conditions.

Major points

1.  Develop an alternative method for the nanoindentation technique to reduce or even eliminate the effect of interfacial adhesions with the aid of some specified buffers.

2.  Revealed that the dependence of the CY52-276 silicone gels’ Young’s modulus on the mixing ratios of monomer to curing agent satisfied a dose-response relation. Once it was fully polymerized, its mechanical properties remained stable    and no longer changed with the ambient temperature and time.

3.   Identified that the Cy52-276 silicone gels could be quantitatively characterized by a two-parameter Mooney-Rivlin hyperelastic model in response to a large-deformation indentation.

Funding of the work

1. National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) under grant nos. 11972002 and 11772006

2. Beijing Natural Science Foundation under grant no. Z200017

Please go to the website to read this article: http://ams.cstam.org.cn/EN/abstract/abstract157406.shtml