scholarly journals Heterogeneity Effects in Highly Cross-Linked Polymer Networks

Polymers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (5) ◽  
pp. 757
Author(s):  
Gérald Munoz ◽  
Alain Dequidt ◽  
Nicolas Martzel ◽  
Ronald Blaak ◽  
Florent Goujon ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mechanical Properties ◽  
Polymer Networks ◽  
Mechanical Stretch ◽  
Topological Order ◽  
Elastic Network Model ◽  
Cross Link ◽  
Elastic Network ◽  
Topological Constraints ◽  
Mechanical Responses ◽  
Heterogeneity Effects

Despite their level of refinement, micro-mechanical, stretch-based and invariant-based models, still fail to capture and describe all aspects of the mechanical properties of polymer networks for which they were developed. This is for an important part caused by the way the microscopic inhomogeneities are treated. The Elastic Network Model (ENM) approach of reintroducing the spatial resolution by considering the network at the level of its topological constraints, is able to predict the macroscopic properties of polymer networks up to the point of failure. We here demonstrate the ability of ENM to highlight the effects of topology and structure on the mechanical properties of polymer networks for which the heterogeneity is characterised by spatial and topological order parameters. We quantify the macro- and microscopic effects on forces and stress caused by introducing and increasing the heterogeneity of the network. We find that significant differences in the mechanical responses arise between networks with a similar topology but different spatial structure at the time of the reticulation, whereas the dispersion of the cross-link valency has a negligible impact.

Cofilin reduces the mechanical properties of actin filaments: approach with coarse-grained methods

2015 ◽  
Vol 17 (12) ◽  
pp. 8148-8158 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jae In Kim ◽  
Junpyo Kwon ◽  
Inchul Baek ◽  
Harold S. Park ◽  
Sungsoo Na
Keyword(s):  
Mechanical Properties ◽  
Normal Mode Analysis ◽  
Beam Theory ◽  
Dynamics Simulation ◽  
Coarse Grained ◽  
Mode Analysis ◽  
Elastic Network Model ◽  
Elastic Network ◽  
Good Agreement ◽  
The Continuum

We applied a coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulation (CGMD) method and constructed elastic network model-based structures, actin and cofilactin filaments. Based on a normal mode analysis, the continuum beam theory was used to calculate the mechanical properties and the results showed good agreement with the established experimental data.

scholarly journals Multivalency in healable supramolecular polymers: the effect of supramolecular cross-link density on the mechanical properties and healing of non-covalent polymer networks

2014 ◽  
Vol 5 (11) ◽  
pp. 3680-3688 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lewis R. Hart ◽  
James H. Hunter ◽  
Ngoc A. Nguyen ◽  
Josephine L. Harries ◽  
Barnaby W. Greenland ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mechanical Properties ◽  
Polymer Blends ◽  
Crosslink Density ◽  
Polymer Networks ◽  
Supramolecular Polymers ◽  
Supramolecular Polymer ◽  
Cross Link ◽  
Link Density ◽  
Cross Link Density

Mechanical properties of healable supramolecular polymer blends correlate to non-covalent “crosslink density”.

Boron nitride for modification of rubber based on isoprene elastomer

2020 ◽  
pp. 105-112
Author(s):  
K. S. Zhansakova ◽  
E. N. Eremin ◽  
G. S. Russkikh ◽  
O. V. Kropotin
Keyword(s):  
Mechanical Properties ◽  
Boron Nitride ◽  
Gradual Increase ◽  
Physical And Mechanical Properties ◽  
Curing Time ◽  
Cross Link ◽  
Start Time ◽  
Link Density ◽  
Cross Link Density ◽  
Isoprene Rubber

The work studies vulcanization characteristics of elastomers based on isoprene rubber filled with carbon black N330 and boron nitride (BN). The influence of the boron nitride (BN) concentration on technological, dynamic, physical and mechanical properties of elastomers has been researched. The application of boron nitride for producing rubber with good properties has been considered. With a gradual increase of the inert filler BN concentration up to 35%, a decrease in the curing rate by 33% and polymer cross-link density by 26% is observed. Moreover, the start time of vulcanization increases by almost 300%, the optimal curing time by 200%.

scholarly journals Protein Hydrogels: The Swiss Army Knife for Enhanced Mechanical and Bioactive Properties of Biomaterials

Nanomaterials ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (7) ◽  
pp. 1656
Author(s):  
Carla Huerta-López ◽  
Jorge Alegre-Cebollada
Keyword(s):  
Mechanical Properties ◽  
Tissue Engineering ◽  
Polymer Networks ◽  
Biological Tissues ◽  
Modern Medicine ◽  
Body Parts ◽  
Biomedical Sciences ◽  
Protein Hydrogels ◽  
Large Water ◽  
Design Options

Biomaterials are dynamic tools with many applications: from the primitive use of bone and wood in the replacement of lost limbs and body parts, to the refined involvement of smart and responsive biomaterials in modern medicine and biomedical sciences. Hydrogels constitute a subtype of biomaterials built from water-swollen polymer networks. Their large water content and soft mechanical properties are highly similar to most biological tissues, making them ideal for tissue engineering and biomedical applications. The mechanical properties of hydrogels and their modulation have attracted a lot of attention from the field of mechanobiology. Protein-based hydrogels are becoming increasingly attractive due to their endless design options and array of functionalities, as well as their responsiveness to stimuli. Furthermore, just like the extracellular matrix, they are inherently viscoelastic in part due to mechanical unfolding/refolding transitions of folded protein domains. This review summarizes different natural and engineered protein hydrogels focusing on different strategies followed to modulate their mechanical properties. Applications of mechanically tunable protein-based hydrogels in drug delivery, tissue engineering and mechanobiology are discussed.

scholarly journals Internal constraints and arrested relaxation in main-chain nematic elastomers

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Takuya Ohzono ◽  
Kaoru Katoh ◽  
Hiroyuki Minamikawa ◽  
Mohand O. Saed ◽  
Eugene M. Terentjev
Keyword(s):  
Mechanical Properties ◽  
Main Chain ◽  
Polymer Networks ◽  
Nematic Order ◽  
Nematic Elastomers ◽  
Nematic Director ◽  
Highly Nonlinear ◽  
Nonlinear Mechanical ◽  
Liquid Crystal Elastomers ◽  
Memory Applications

AbstractNematic liquid crystal elastomers (N-LCE) exhibit intriguing mechanical properties, such as reversible actuation and soft elasticity, which manifests as a wide plateau of low nearly-constant stress upon stretching. N-LCE also have a characteristically slow stress relaxation, which sometimes prevents their shape recovery. To understand how the inherent nematic order retards and arrests the equilibration, here we examine hysteretic stress-strain characteristics in a series of specifically designed main-chain N-LCE, investigating both macroscopic mechanical properties and the microscopic nematic director distribution under applied strains. The hysteretic features are attributed to the dynamics of thermodynamically unfavoured hairpins, the sharp folds on anisotropic polymer strands, the creation and transition of which are restricted by the nematic order. These findings provide a new avenue for tuning the hysteretic nature of N-LCE at both macro- and microscopic levels via different designs of polymer networks, toward materials with highly nonlinear mechanical properties and shape-memory applications.

Influence of the mechanical stretch property of fabrics on the wear comfort of men’s suit pants

2021 ◽  
pp. 004051752110191
Author(s):  
Hiroyuki Kanai ◽  
Kentaro Ogawa ◽  
Tetsu Sasagawa ◽  
Kiyohiro Shibata
Keyword(s):  
Mechanical Properties ◽  
Pressure Measurement ◽  
Mechanical Stretch ◽  
The Body ◽  
Weft Yarn ◽  
Elongation Ratio ◽  
Weft Direction ◽  
Wear Comfort ◽  
Finishing Process ◽  
Elastic Thread

The stretch property of fabrics is one of the most important factors that provide comfort to wearers. It is expected that tension building up in the fabric can be relaxed and the garment pressure on the body can be reduced by appropriately exploiting its stretch property. Currently, the stretch property is predominantly realized using spandex. However, weaving or knitting elastic threads cannot be employed for the worsted fabric used to design men’s suits because of their effects on the mechanical properties of the fabric (e.g., embrittlement), which deteriorate with time. In this study, worsted fabric with a graded mechanical stretch property was produced, and the effect of the mechanical stretch property on comfort was verified. The mechanical stretch property is developed from the tension relaxation and fabric shrinkage along the weft yarn during the crabbing, scouring, and drying stages of the finishing process. Then, the form of the fabric is set by heating. In this study, the worsted fabric had an elongation ratio varying from 5.9% to 16.1% along the weft direction that was produced without using elastic thread. Furthermore, men’s suit pants were made from the fabrics. The effect of the stretch property on the garment comfort was verified through sensory evaluation and garment pressure measurement. The contribution of the mechanical stretch property in improving the garment comfort of men’s suit pants is discussed.

scholarly journals Loss of BMP signaling through BMPR1A in osteoblasts leads to greater collagen cross-link maturation and material-level mechanical properties in mouse femoral trabecular compartments

Bone ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 88 ◽  
pp. 74-84 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yanshuai Zhang ◽  
Erin Gatenby McNerny ◽  
Masahiko Terajima ◽  
Mekhala Raghavan ◽  
Genevieve Romanowicz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mechanical Properties ◽  
Bmp Signaling ◽  
Cross Link

scholarly journals Approach to the unfolding and folding dynamics of add A-riboswitch upon adenine dissociation using a coarse-grained elastic network model

2016 ◽  
Vol 145 (1) ◽  
pp. 014104 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chunhua Li ◽  
Dashuai Lv ◽  
Lei Zhang ◽  
Feng Yang ◽  
Cunxin Wang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Network Model ◽  
Coarse Grained ◽  
Elastic Network Model ◽  
Elastic Network ◽  
Folding Dynamics
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