Polyacid gels under a uniaxial load

Abstract.

Swelling and shrinking of polyacid gels is accompanied by forming and breaking of hydrogen bonds yielding additional crosslinks of the polymer network. Continuous forming and breaking of hydrogen bonds even in equilibrium gives rise to viscoelastic behaviour. Based on molecular considerations a two-network model has been developed to describe microstructural changes under a uniaxial load. A phenomenological theory is presented which describes the temporal evolution of viscoelastic processes. By this approach the number of adjustable parameters can be reduced considerably compared to the Kelvin or Maxwell model.