Counting primary loops in polymer gels
Name
Zhou-2012-Counting primary loops in polymer gels.pdf
Size
1.25 MB
Format
Adobe PDF
Checksum (MD5)
f6494a0588410a69b5816885b41eacc2
Author(s)
Zhou, Huaxing
Woo, Jiyeon
Cok, Alexandra M.
Wang, Muzhou
Olsen, Bradley D.
Johnson, Jeremiah A.
Date Issued
November 2012
Journal
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Publisher
National Academy of Sciences (U.S.)
Citation
Zhou, H., J. Woo, A. M. Cok, M. Wang, B. D. Olsen, and J. A. Johnson. Counting Primary Loops in Polymer Gels. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 109, no. 47 (November 20, 2012): 19119-19124.
Version
Final published version
Abstract
Much of our fundamental knowledge related to polymer networks is built on an assumption of ideal end-linked network structure. Real networks invariably possess topological imperfections that negatively affect mechanical properties; modifications of classical network theories have been developed to account for these defects. Despite decades of effort, there are no known experimental protocols for precise quantification of even the simplest topological network imperfections: primary loops. Here we present a simple conceptual framework that enables primary loop quantification in polymeric materials. We apply this framework to measure the fraction of primary loop junctions in trifunctional PEG-based hydrogels. We anticipate that the concepts described here will open new avenues of theoretical and experimental research related to polymer network structure.
MIT Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Chemical Engineering
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Chemistry
Terms of Use
Article is made available in accordance with the publisher's policy and may be subject to US copyright law. Please refer to the publisher's site for terms of use.
Persistent DSpace Link
DOI of Published Version
https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1213169109
