Issue 37, 2023

An energy-optimization method to study gel-swelling in confinement

Abstract

We recast the problem of hydrogel swelling under physical constraints as an energy optimization problem. We apply this approach to compute equilibrium shapes of hydrogel spheres confined within a jammed matrix of rigid beads and interpret the results to determine how confinement modifies the mechanics of swollen hydrogels. In contrast to the unconfined case, we find a spatial separation of strains within the bulk of the hydrogel as the strain becomes localized to an outer region. We also explore the contact mechanics of the gel, finding a transition from Hertzian behavior to non-Hertzian behavior as a function of swelling. Our model, implemented in the Morpho shape optimization environment and validated against an experimentally demonstrated prototypical scenario, can be applied in any dimension, readily adapted to diverse swelling scenarios and extended to use other energies in conjunction.

Graphical abstract: An energy-optimization method to study gel-swelling in confinement

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
08 Apr 2023
Accepted
28 Aug 2023
First published
28 Aug 2023

Soft Matter, 2023,19, 7184-7191

Author version available

An energy-optimization method to study gel-swelling in confinement

C. Joshi, M. Q. Giso, J. Louf, S. S. Datta and T. J. Atherton, Soft Matter, 2023, 19, 7184 DOI: 10.1039/D3SM00465A

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