Molecular Interpretations of Chemo-Mechanical Responses in Polymer-Liquid Systems

Abstract

Earlier publications from 3M Laboratories reported that the volume sorbed into a gel at liquid-saturation under constant environmental conditions is proportional to two factors: the adsorption parameter (α,) of the liquid with respect to the polymer that supports the gel, and the relative "looseness" (A) of the macrostructure of that polymer. Earlier publications from the Ibaraki Laboratories reported that major changes in sorption capacity of such gels can be induced rapidly by sudden changes in environmental conditions, such as temperature or imposed electric field, and that the change in volume resulting from the imposed perturbation can be used in devices that mimic muscular responses. We now report that these effects can be rationalized qualitatively by considera tion of the behavior of α, and/or A, and are illustrated by representative examples taken from the scientific literature.