Coupled chemo-electro-mechanical simulation for smart hydrogels that are responsive to an external electric field

• Published in: Smart materials and structures Vol. 16; no. 4; pp. 1185 - 1191
• Main Authors: Luo, Rongmo, Li, Hua, Lam, K Y
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Bristol IOP Publishing 01.08.2007; Institute of Physics
• Subjects: Exact sciences and technology; Fundamental areas of phenomenology (including applications); General equipment and techniques; Instruments, apparatus, components and techniques common to several branches of physics and astronomy; Measurement and testing methods; Physics; Servo and control equipment; robots; Solid mechanics; Structural and continuum mechanics; Charge density; External fields; pH metering; High strain; Non linear model; Differential equations; Chemical reactions; Modelling; Hydrogel; Steady state; Intelligent system
• ISSN: 0964-1726; 1361-665X
• DOI: 10.1088/0964-1726/16/4/029

By reformulating the fixed charge density with finite deformation, a previously developed model for pH-sensitive hydrogels is further refined in this paper to simulate electric-sensitive hydrogels when immersed in a bath solution subject to an externally applied electric field; it is termed the refined multi-effect-coupling electric-stimulus (rMECe) model. This model consists of coupled nonlinear partial differential governing equations with the effects of chemo-electro-mechanical multi-energy domains. The reformulated fixed charge density incorporates the effect of the applied voltage. The rMECe model is validated by numerical comparison of the simulation results with those of published experiments. One-dimensional steady-state simulations are carried out for the equilibrium behavior of an electric-sensitive hydrogel strip. Then detailed discussions are given of the influence of the externally applied voltage on the responses of the hydrogel strip.