Large Deformation and Instability in Soft Active Materials

软活性材料的大变形和不稳定性哈佛大学软材料，如弹性体和凝胶，可以使其具有活性，因为它们可以在不同的刺激下极大地改变形状和体积。例如，介电弹性体在电场作用下的应变可能超过100%。另一个例子是，凝胶可以吸收溶剂分子并膨胀成其初始体积的千倍。这些软活性材料（sam）正在各种技术中得到开发，包括类肌肉致动器、药物输送和组织工程。该项目将为受机械、电气和化学载荷影响的地对空导弹制定场论。这些理论将建立在非线性连续介质力学、静电学、热力学和动力学的原理之上。该项目将把现场理论与实验观察和分子模型联系起来。力学与材料课程中一个明显的漏洞是对软材料缺乏实质性的介绍。标准的票价并没有超出橡胶的弹性。在新兴技术的背景下，基础研究可以填补这一空白。PI已经开始将地对空导弹机制的最新进展纳入研究生课程。课堂讲稿被放到了网上，校外的很多人都能读到。此外，sam支持许多重要的应用程序。药物输送和组织工程等应用旨在解决社会对更好的医疗保健的长期需求。这个项目将有助于把力学学科参与到提高我们生活质量的技术创造中来。

CMMI - 0800161 Large Deformation and Instability in Soft Active MaterialsSuo, Zhigang Harvard University Soft materials, such as elastomers and gels, can be made active in that they can greatly change shape and volume in response to diverse stimuli. For example, a dielectric elastomer may strain more than 100% under an electric field. As another example, a gel may imbibe solvent molecules and swell thousand times its initial volume. These soft active materials (SAMs) are being developed in diverse technologies, including muscle-like actuators, drug delivery, and tissue engineering. This project will formulate field theories for SAMs subject to mechanical, electrical, and chemical loads. The theories will build on principles of nonlinear continuum mechanics, electrostatics, thermodynamics and kinetics. The project will link the field theories to experimental observations and to molecular models. One conspicuous hole in the courses of mechanics and materials is the lack of a substantive coverage of soft materials. The standard fare has not gone much beyond rubber elasticity. This hole may be filled through basic research in the context of emerging technologies. The PI has begun to incorporate recent advances in the mechanics of SAMs into a graduate course. The lecture notes have been placed online, and read by many people off the campus. In addition, SAMs are enabling many significant applications. Applications such as drug delivery and tissue engineering aim to address the long term societal needs for better health care. This project will help to bring the discipline of mechanics to participate in the creation of the technologies that will enhance the quality of our lives.