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New theory overcomes a longstanding polymer problem


September 15, 2016

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All polymers have a distinctive degree of elasticity -- how much they will stretch when a force is applied. However, for the past century, polymer scientists have been stymied in the efforts to predict polymers' elasticity because the materials usually have structural flaws at the molecular level, impacting elasticity in unknown ways. By creating a way to measure structural defects, researchers have now shown they can accurately calculate the elasticity of polymer networks, such as hydrogels.Full Story

Source
Massachusetts Institute of Technology

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