Large Swelling in Polymer Hydrogels
Application ID: 111591
Polymer hydrogels consist of a crosslinked network of long-chained polymers that has imbibed a large number of solvent molecules. Such materials are used in many biomedical applications, such as targeted drug delivery, tissue engineering, and stimuli-sensitive actuators.
This benchmark model demonstrates how to simulate large swelling in polymer hydrogels by implementing a coupled field theory of large deformation and solvent diffusion based on the work by Hong, Zhao, Zhou, and Suo, JMPS 56:1779-1793 (2008).
This model example illustrates applications of this type that would nominally be built using the following products:
however, additional products may be required to completely define and model it. Furthermore, this example may also be defined and modeled using components from the following product combinations:
- COMSOL Multiphysics® and
- Nonlinear Structural Materials Module and
- Porous Media Flow Module and
- either the MEMS Module, or Structural Mechanics Module
The combination of COMSOL® products required to model your application depends on several factors and may include boundary conditions, material properties, physics interfaces, and part libraries. Particular functionality may be common to several products. To determine the right combination of products for your modeling needs, review the Specification Chart and make use of a free evaluation license. The COMSOL Sales and Support teams are available for answering any questions you may have regarding this.