Specimen Geometry Effect on Experimental Tensile Mechanical Properties of Tough Hydrogels

Abstract

Synthetic tough hydrogels have received attention because they could mimic the mechanical properties of natural hydrogels, such as muscle, ligament, tendon, and cartilage. Many recent studies suggest various approaches to enhance the mechanical properties of tough hydrogels. However, directly comparing each hydrogel property in different reports is challenging because various testing specimen shapes/sizes were employed, affecting the experimental mechanical property values. This study demonstrates how the specimen geometry—the lengths and width of the reduced section—of a tough double-network hydrogel causes differences in experimental tensile mechanical values. In particular, the elastic modulus was systemically compared using eleven specimens of different shapes and sizes that were tensile tested, including a rectangle, ASTM D412-C and D412-D, JIS K6251-7, and seven customized dumbbell shapes with various lengths and widths of the reduced section. Unlike the rectangular specimen, which showed an inconsistent measurement of mechanical properties due to a local load concentration near the grip, dumbbell-shaped specimens exhibited a stable fracture at the reduced section. The dumbbell-shaped specimen with a shorter gauge length resulted in a smaller elastic modulus. Moreover, a relationship between the specimen dimension and measured elastic modulus value was derived, which allowed for the prediction of the experimental elastic modulus of dumbbell-shaped tough hydrogels with different dimensions. This study conveys a message that reminds the apparent experimental dependence of specimen geometry on the stress-strain measurement and the need to standardize the measurement of of numerous tough hydrogels for a fair comparison.

Enhancing antioxidant delivery through 3D printing: a pathway to advanced therapeutic strategies

“…These materials offer good printability, mechanical strength, and biodegradability, making them suitable for biomedical applications ( Athukoralalage et al, 2019 ). Hydrogels composed of natural polymers (e.g., gelatin, alginate, hyaluronic acid) or synthetic polymers (e.g., polyethylene oxide, polyvinyl alcohol) are employed for their ability to mimic the extracellular matrix and promote cell adhesion and proliferation ( Chaudhuri et al, 2016 ; Ji et al, 2023 ). Composite materials, which are combinations of polymers and ceramics (e.g., hydroxyapatite, tricalcium phosphate) or polymers and metals (e.g., titanium), are utilized to enhance the mechanical and biological properties of the printed structures ( Misra et al, 2011 ).…”