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Modelling deformation behaviour of polyelectrolyte gels under chemo‐electro‐mechanical coupling effects
Author(s) -
Chen Jun,
Ma Guowei
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
international journal for numerical methods in engineering
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.421
H-Index - 168
eISSN - 1097-0207
pISSN - 0029-5981
DOI - 10.1002/nme.1752
Subject(s) - polyelectrolyte , swelling , materials science , multiphysics , deformation (meteorology) , electric field , composite material , bending , coupling (piping) , mechanics , polymer , finite element method , structural engineering , engineering , physics , quantum mechanics
In this paper, the deformation behaviour of polyelectrolyte gels induced by surrounding chemical and electrical stimulations is investigated. The polyelectrolyte gel is composed of a solid polymer‐based network attached with electric charged groups and an interstitial fluid, and it will induce various deformations such as swelling, de‐swelling as well as bending due to the variation of ambient chemical and electrical field. In order to study these mechanical behaviours of the polyelectrolyte gels, a multiphysics mathematical model is developed based on the multiphase mixture theory. In the present equilibrium study, the neglect of electro‐osmosis phenomenon is assumed and the numerical simulations are carried out for a two‐dimensional gel strip with the coupling effect of the external salt solution and electric field. The bending of the gel strip is concluded from the numerical results, which agrees with the previous experimental observation. The influence of several parameters on the deformation behaviour of the gel strip has also been discussed. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.