Paper Number
PL3
Session
Plenary Lectures
Title
Rheology of gel networks: Softness, rigidity and failure
Presentation Date and Time
October 23, 2019 (Wednesday) 8:30
Track / Room
Plenary Lectures / Room 306
Authors
- Del Gado, Emanuela (Georgetown University, Department of Physics)
Author and Affiliation Lines
Emanuela Del Gado
Department of Physics, Georgetown University, Washington, DC 20007
Speaker / Presenter
Del Gado, Emanuela
Text of Abstract
Soft matter (colloids, polymers, proteins…) often self-assembles into gels where rigidity emerges in diverse structures with a variety of mechanical features. Through the interplay between their microstructure with an imposed deformation, gels can be stretched, flow, squeezed or fractured, but controlling and being able to design such processes (think for example of soft inks for 3D printing technologies) requires a fundamental understanding that is still lacking. Interesting new insight into the emergence of rigidity and the role of the network topology can be gained through theoretical/computational approaches. I will give an overview of the novel insight gained into the aging, the uniquely wide-ranged viscoelastic spectra and the presence of a topologically controlled softness in gel networks. Such findings can help understand the nontrivial mechanical response of soft gels in different contexts, develop constitutive models and theories further, and design smart materials.