Multiscale interfacial mechanics of soft solids

Abstract

Soft solids and their surface deformations control the response of many natural and artificial systems. Yet, their underlying properties are vigorously debated, particularly for polymer networks. While molecular-scale theories predict no interfacial changes with macroscopic deformation, multiple experiments suggest otherwise. To settle this issue, we measure displacement fields near the interface of a silicone gel, in the limit of small deformations. We discover an unexpected multiscale response. The shear modulus decreases smoothly by half with 20 μ⁢m of the interface. At the same time we observe a surface excess elasticity, that depends on history and outer medium composition. These results reveal the fundamentally multiscale nature of polymeric surfaces, and call for further experimental and theoretical investigations into the basic understanding of soft solid interfaces.

Deep Indentation of Soft Solids: A Limit State
Mohammad Shojaeifard, Zhenwei Ma, K Jimmy Hsia +2
arXiv19 Sep 2026PreprintarXiv licenceFull textCondensed matterarXiv
Contact mechanics and friction of soft materials: an apparatus combining multi-axes dynamical actuation/measurement and in situ/in operando visualisation
Matthieu Guibert, Antoine Aymard, Cristobal Oliver +8
arXiv14 Sep 2026PreprintarXiv licenceFull textGeneral physicsarXiv
Retrieval of the dephasing time in solids from spatial high-harmonic spectroscopy
Jiahao You, Bin Lu, Zhong Guan +8
Optics Express15 Oct 2026Peer-reviewedPublisher termsOptics & photonicsCrossref
Sub-kJ/mol Precision at Practical Cost for Molecular Solids through Local Coupled Cluster Approaches
Khanh Ngoc Pham, Marcin Modrzejewski, Péter R. Nagy +1
ChemRxiv8 Oct 2026PreprintCC BYFull textAtomic, molecular & optical physicsChemRxiv
Compressive Splitting in Brittle Solids: The Inverse of Wrinkling in Sheets
Maryam Khodadad, Francois Barthelat, John D. Clayton +2
arXiv18 Sep 2026PreprintCC BY 4.0Full textCondensed matterarXiv

Cite

BibTeX RIS

BibTeX

@article{bain2026multiscale,
  title = {{Multiscale interfacial mechanics of soft solids}},
  author = {Nicolas Bain and Lawrence Wilen and Dominic Gerber and Mengjie Zu and Carl Goodrich and Senthilkumar Duraivel and Kaarthik Varma and Harsha Koganti and Robert Style and Eric Dufresne},
  journal = {Physical Review X},
  year = {2026},
  month = jun,
  doi = {10.1103/8msx-l8s7},
  eprint = {2410.09158},
  archivePrefix = {arXiv},
  url = {https://hal.science/hal-05368553v2},
  note = {CC BY 4.0},
}

RIS

TY  - JOUR
TI  - Multiscale interfacial mechanics of soft solids
AU  - Nicolas Bain
AU  - Lawrence Wilen
AU  - Dominic Gerber
AU  - Mengjie Zu
AU  - Carl Goodrich
AU  - Senthilkumar Duraivel
AU  - Kaarthik Varma
AU  - Harsha Koganti
AU  - Robert Style
AU  - Eric Dufresne
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/06/30
JO  - Physical Review X
DO  - 10.1103/8msx-l8s7
UR  - https://hal.science/hal-05368553v2
AB  - Soft solids and their surface deformations control the response of many natural and artificial systems. Yet, their underlying properties are vigorously debated, particularly for polymer networks. While molecular-scale theories predict no interfacial changes with macroscopic deformation, multiple experiments suggest otherwise. To settle this issue, we measure displacement fields near the interface of a silicone gel, in the limit of small deformations. We discover an unexpected multiscale response. The shear modulus decreases smoothly by half with 20 μ⁢m of the interface. At the same time we observe a surface excess elasticity, that depends on history and outer medium composition. These results reveal the fundamentally multiscale nature of polymeric surfaces, and call for further experimental and theoretical investigations into the basic understanding of soft solid interfaces.
SN  - 2160-3308
ER  -

Abstract

Related

Cite