Abstract
Understanding the interfacial properties of solids with their environment is a crucial problem in fundamental science and applications. Elastomers have challenged the scientific community in this respect, and a satisfying description is still missing. Here, we argue that the interfacial properties of elastomers, such as their wettability, can be understood with a nonlinear elastic model with the assumption of a strain-independent surface energy. We show that our model captures accurately available data on elastomer wettability and discuss its implications.
- Received 22 January 2019
- Revised 13 May 2019
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.122.248004
© 2019 American Physical Society
Physics Subject Headings (PhySH)
Synopsis
Nonlinear Forces Explain Elastomer Ridges
Published 18 June 2019
A new theory that incorporates nonlinear properties of rubber-like materials correctly describes the shape of the ridge that forms when the material is strongly deformed by an object.
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