A double network hydrogel being stretched to different lengths. The necked region of the hydrogel indicates rupture of the first polymer network (Photo: WPI-ICReDD). New double network hydrogel ...

PFAS contamination in water is difficult to clean up and can negatively impact aquatic ecosystems. Discover how a new ...

These rings can slide along the polymer chains, allowing the network structure to redistribute stress under deformation and maintain mechanical toughness. "The movable cross-links allow the polymer ...

Researchers' new polymer strategy shifts a centuries-old engineering paradigm with a molecular design that doesn't sacrifice stretchability for stiffness. Researchers at the University of Virginia ...

A new recipe, or design guidelines, for a self-strengthening muscle-like hydrogel has been developed through strategic integration of computational, information, and experimental research. The ...

Researchers at the University of Virginia School of Engineering and Applied Science created a new design that seems to rewrite the polymer engineering textbook completely. It is no longer a dogma that ...