Visco-elasticity of swollen hydrogels during phase transition

我建议研究水凝胶的溶胀/消胀动力学和流变学之间的相互作用。我的重点是过渡行为(接近VPT)。流变学测量将在中间状态下进行，例如在VPT附近的样品交联之后和在膨胀的中间状态下进行。数据将被抽象为我们在这里提出的水凝胶中的应力本构方程。水凝胶之所以被选择，是因为它们在广泛的应用中具有重要的技术意义。然而，水凝胶也被认为是凝胶点附近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).