Visco-elasticity of swollen hydrogels during phase transition

我建议研究溶胀/消胀动力学与水凝胶流变学的相互作用。我的重点是转换行为（接近VPT）。流变学测量将在中间状态下进行，例如，在VPT附近的样品交联后和在膨胀的中间状态下。数据将被抽象成我们在这里提出的水凝胶应力的本构方程。选择水凝胶是因为它们在广泛的应用中具有重要的技术意义。然而，水凝胶也被认为是靠近凝胶点的软聚合物固体的模型材料。我们工作的一个亮点应该是流变材料参数与软物质（水凝胶）结构的普遍关系。

I propose to investigate the interplay of swelling/de-swelling dynamics and rheology of hydrogels. My focus is pointed to the transition behavior (near VPT). Rheological measurements will be performed at intermediate states, e.g. after cross-linking of the samples near VPT and at intermediate states of swelling. Data will be abstracted into a constitutive equation for the stress in hydrogels which we propose here. Hydrogels have been chosen because of their great technical importance in a wide range of applications. However, hydrogels are also considered as model materials for soft polymeric solids near the gel point. A highlight of our work should be a universal relation of rheological material parameters to structure of soft matter (hydrogels).