Elastic polymer networks of exceptional strength by deconcentrating tension
Abstract
The strength of a polymer network is orders of magnitude below that of a polymer chain, because the network concentrates high tension in a small fraction of polymer strands. Here we show that the strength of a network can be greatly amplified by recruiting a larger fraction of strands to bear high tension. We develop approaches to fabricate hydrogels of exceptional strength while maintaining low hysteresis. The strength of the hydrogel increases from ~0.05 MPa for a regular network, to ~1 MPa for a highly entangled network, and further to ~10 MPa for a prestretched interpenetrating network. Similar amplifications of strength are achieved for elastomers. Furthermore, experimental data suggest a scaling relation between strength and strand length. This work provides design principles for creating elastic and strong polymer networks.
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BibTeX
@misc{zhou2026elastic,
title = {{Elastic polymer networks of exceptional strength by deconcentrating tension}},
author = {Yu Zhou and Chenghai Li and Zheqi Chen and Xianyang Bao and Zhigang Suo},
howpublished = {arXiv},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.48550/arxiv.2610.11837},
eprint = {2610.11837},
archivePrefix = {arXiv},
url = {https://arxiv.org/abs/2610.11837},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - Elastic polymer networks of exceptional strength by deconcentrating tension
AU - Yu Zhou
AU - Chenghai Li
AU - Zheqi Chen
AU - Xianyang Bao
AU - Zhigang Suo
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/08
PB - arXiv
DO - 10.48550/arxiv.2610.11837
UR - https://arxiv.org/abs/2610.11837
AB - The strength of a polymer network is orders of magnitude below that of a polymer chain, because the network concentrates high tension in a small fraction of polymer strands. Here we show that the strength of a network can be greatly amplified by recruiting a larger fraction of strands to bear high tension. We develop approaches to fabricate hydrogels of exceptional strength while maintaining low hysteresis. The strength of the hydrogel increases from ~0.05 MPa for a regular network, to ~1 MPa for a highly entangled network, and further to ~10 MPa for a prestretched interpenetrating network. Similar amplifications of strength are achieved for elastomers. Furthermore, experimental data suggest a scaling relation between strength and strand length. This work provides design principles for creating elastic and strong polymer networks.
ER -