noyco's blog

Our recent work introduces a microscopically motivated model for the swelling response of polymer networks with non-covalent cross-linking bonds.

As opposed to the classical theories of rubber, we show that the uptake of water in polymer networks comprising hydrogen cross-linking bonds can lead to the dissociation of cross-links. This phenomenon leads to a reduction in the chain-density, an increase in entropy, and a decrease in the free energy.  As a result, the network experiences significant softening and exhibits a different mechanical response.

Link: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0020768319303063?via%3Dihub

Highlights:

Our group is part of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at Techion – Israel Institute of Technology, located in Haifa, Israel.

We employ theoretical and experimental tools to understand the relations between the micro-structure and the macroscopic response of soft materials. Materials of interest include electro-active polymers, 3D printed lattice structures, biopolymers, and gels.

Recent theoretical works have shown that the electro-mechanical performance of dielectric elastomers can be enhanced through micro-structural design.

This work introduces a new microscopically-motivated model for the electromechanical response of elastomers:

http://ac.els-cdn.com/S0022509615303525/1-s2.0-S0022509615303525-main.pdf?_tid=1db1e302-202a-11e6-8a60-00000aacb361&acdnat=1463927774_d9ad1fa74b5b42fafcb28a8b6b2c9b60

The merit of this novel model is demonstrated in the following paper