New theory overcomes a longstanding polymer problem
All polymers have a distinctive degree of elasticity — how much they will stretch when a force is applied. However, for the past 100 years, polymer scientists have been stymied in their efforts to predict polymers’ elasticity, because the materials usually have structural flaws at the molecular level that impact elasticity in unknown ways. By coming up with a way to measure these structural defects, MIT researchers have now shown that they can accurately calculate the elasticity of polymer networks such as hydrogels. “This is the first time anyone has developed a predictive theory of elasticity in a polymer network, which is something that many have said over the years was impossible to do,” says Jeremiah Johnson, the Firmenich Career Development Associate Professor of Chemistry at MIT. This theory could make it much easier for scientists to design materials with a specific elasticity, which is now more of a trial-and-error process. Bradley Olsen, an...