Mechanics of materials focuses on quantitative description of the motion and deformation of solid materials subjected to forces, temperature changes, electrical voltage or other external stimuli.

At ÃÛÌÇÖ±²¥, we apply theoretical modeling, computational simulation and experimental characterization to study a range of soft materials, from biological tissues and gels to smart polymers. Our applications cover a long list of current and emerging technologies including tissue engineering, membrane filtration, stretchable electronics, smart materials, medical robots, and innovative surgical devices.Ìý

Area Strengths

  • Computational mechanics of soft colloidal particles
  • Multiscale modeling of growth in engineered tissues
  • Mechanics of stretchable electronics
  • Smart surface wrinkling
  • Fracture and damage mechanics in soft materials
  • Highly Stretchable, self-healing elastomers
  • Stretch dependence of the electrical breakdown strength of elastomers
  • Continuum mechanics of soft adaptable polymers
  • Poro-thermo-mechanical modeling of soft tissue for surgical fusion
  • Adhesive and frictional contact mechanics of micro-structured surface and soft tissue
  • Mechanics of reconfigurable, smart polymer particles and surfaces
  • Fracture and damage mechanics of polymeric materials
  • Mechanics of contact, adhesion and friction for soft materials
  • Correlative analysis of nano/micromechanics with chemistry and structure in tissues and biomaterialsÌý
  • Additive manufacturing of micrometer-sized stiff hydrogel structures for tissue engineering