Abstract

The dynamic aspects and the structural characteristics of double network (DN) gels and polymer blend electrorheological (ER) fluids have been investigated. The polymer hydrogels with the DN structure that consisted of the electrolyte gel and the neutral gel have been synthesized. The DN gels exhibited 0.1-1 MPa of elastic modulus, 60 MPa of compressive fracture stress, and 2500 J/m2 of facture energy. The structural characteristics and dynamics of the DN gels with high strength were examined. Moreover, the necking phenomenon, which was first observed in gel systems was shown. The model for anomalously high fracture energy of DN gels was also proposed, showing how the fracture energy was effectively dissipated. About the ER fluids, the structure observation and the stress measurement of immiscible polymer blends under the flow and the electric field have been carried out. The morphology change, instability, and viscoelasticity of the polymer blend ER fluids were examined. I demonstrated that detailed observations could be made by using a confocal scanning laser microscope (CSLM), and investigated the relation between the structure and the shear stress in the evolution process from droplet-discpersed state to network one. I have also measured the response of shear stress to ac electric fields, and found a characteristic mode under steady shear flow in the droplet dispersed phase. The origin of the mode was explained on the basis of the Maffettone-Minale model.

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