Programming the equilibrium swelling response of heterogeneous polymeric gels

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

Highlights:

• Heterogeneous gels are formed when heterogeneous polymer networks are submerged in a solvent.
• We show that an heterogeneous microstructure, described by a spatially varying shear modulus and interaction parameter, leads to different swelling responses.
• The influence of the microstructure is demonstrated via a few illustrative problems.
• The proposed framework sheds light on the influence of local properties on the macroscopic behavior.
• We provides a micro-structural design guide that can be used to program the equilibrium swelling response by appropriately distributing the heterogeneities in the polymer network.