Molecular mechanism of abnormally large nonsoftening deformation in a tough hydrogel

Ya Nan Ye (1) , Kunpeng Cui (1) , Wei Hong (2) , Xueyu Li (1) , Chengtao Yu (1) , Dominique Hourdet (3) , Tasuku Nakajima (4) , Takayuki Kurokawa (1) , Jian Ping Gong (1)

1 Hokkaido University of Science
2 SUSTech - Southern University of Science and Technology
3 SIMM - Sciences et Ingénierie de la Matière Molle (UMR 7615)
4 Hokkaido University [Sapporo, Japan]

Tough soft materials usually show strain softening and inelastic deformation. Here, we study the molecular mechanism of abnormally large nonsoftening, quasi-linear but inelastic deformation in tough hydrogels made of hyperconnective physical network and linear polymers as molecular glues to the network. The interplay of hyperconnectivity of network and effective load transfer by molecular glues prevents stress concentration, which is revealed by an affine deformation of the network to the bulk deformation up to sample failure. The suppression of local stress concentration and strain amplification plays a key role in avoiding necking or strain softening and endows the gels with a unique large nonsoftening, quasi-linear but inelastic deformation.

Mots clés: tough hydrogel; non-softening; large quasi-linear deformation; hyperconnective network; molecular glue; affine deformation

Domaines: Chimie

Ya Nan Ye, Kunpeng Cui, Wei Hong, Xueyu Li, Chengtao Yu, et al.. Molecular mechanism of abnormally large nonsoftening deformation in a tough hydrogel. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 2021, 118 (14), pp.e2014694118. ⟨10.1073/pnas.2014694118⟩. ⟨hal-03360802⟩