Biaxial Extension Studies Using Inflation of Sheets of Unimodal Model Networks

Molecular Characterization of Polymer Networks

Polymer networks are complex systems consisting of molecular components. Whereas the properties of the individual components are typically well understood by most chemists, translating that chemical insight into polymer networks themselves is limited by the statistical and poorly defined nature of network structures. As a result, it is challenging, if not currently impossible, to extrapolate from the molecular behavior of components to the full range of performance and properties of the entire polymer network. Polymer networks therefore present an unrealized, important, and interdisciplinary opportunity to exert molecular-level, chemical control on material macroscopic properties. A barrier to sophisticated molecular approaches to polymer networks is that the techniques for characterizing the molecular structure of networks are often unfamiliar to many scientists. Here, we present a critical overview of the current characterization techniques available to understand the relation between the molecular properties and the resulting performance and behavior of polymer networks, in the absence of added fillers. We highlight the methods available to characterize the chemistry and molecular-level properties of individual polymer strands and junctions, the gelation process by which strands form networks, the structure of the resulting network, and the dynamics and mechanics of the final material. The purpose is not to serve as a detailed manual for conducting these measurements but rather to unify the underlying principles, point out remaining challenges, and provide a concise overview by which chemists can plan characterization strategies that suit their research objectives. Because polymer networks cannot often be sufficiently characterized with a single method, strategic combinations of multiple techniques are typically required for their molecular characterization.

Constitutive equation for polymer networks with phonon fluctuations

Recent research by Xing [Phys. Rev. Lett. 98, 075502 (2007)] has provided an expression for the Helmholtz free energy related to phonon fluctuations in polymer networks. We extend this result by constructing the corresponding nonlinear constitutive equation, usable for entirely general, volume conserving deformation fields. Constitutive equations for the sliplink model and the tube model are derived and the three models are examined by comparison with each other and with data from Xu and Mark [Rubber Chem. Technol. 63, 276 (1990)] and Wang and Mark [J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 30, 801 (1992)]. Elastic moduli are derived for the three models and compared with the moduli determined from the chemical stoichiometry. We conclude that the sliplink model and the phonon fluctuation model are relatively consistent with each other and with the data. The tube model seems consistent neither with the other models nor with the data.

Thermal fluctuations and rubber elasticity

The effects of thermal elastic fluctuations in rubbery materials are examined. It is shown that, due to their interplay with the incompressibility constraint, these fluctuations qualitatively modify the large-deformation stress-strain relation, compared to that of classical rubber elasticity. To leading order, this mechanism provides a simple and generic explanation for the peak structure of Mooney-Rivlin stress-strain relation and shows good agreement with experiments. It also leads to the prediction of a phonon correlation function that depends on the external deformation.

Review: Computer Methods in Membrane Biomechanics

The purpose of this paper is twofold: first, to review analytical, experimental, and numerical methods for studying the nonlinear, pseudoelastic behavior of membranes of interest in biomechanics, and second, to present illustrative examples from the literature for a variety of biomembranes (e.g., skin, pericardium, pleura, aneurysms, and cells) as well as elastomeric membranes used in balloon catheters and new cell stretching tests. Although a membrane approach affords great simplifications in comparison to the three-dimensional theory of nonlinear elasticity, associated problems are still challenging. Computer-based methods are essential, therefore, for performing the requisite experiments, analyzing data, and solving boundary and initial value problems. Emphasis is on stable equilibria although material instabilities and elastodynamics are discussed.