Alumni Alumni ⬅️ All Members Annika (Alex) Foret Alumni Publications Impacts I'm an image title I'm an image title I'm an image title I'm an image title I'm an image title I'm an image title I'm an image title I'm an image title I'm an image title I'm an image title I'm an image title I'm an image title I'm an image title Previous Next Corning Incorporated

Graduate Student Graduate Student ⬅️ All Members Christina Hemmingsen Graduate Student Publications Impacts I'm an image title I'm an image title I'm an image title I'm an image title I'm an image title I'm an image title I'm an image title I'm an image title I'm an image title I'm an image title I'm an image title I'm an image title I'm an image title Previous Next Northwestern University

Alumni Alumni ⬅️ All Members Haley Beech Alumni Publications Impacts I'm an image title I'm an image title I'm an image title I'm an image title I'm an image title I'm an image title I'm an image title I'm an image title I'm an image title I'm an image title I'm an image title I'm an image title I'm an image title Previous Next University of California Santa Barbara

A team from the Gong and Rubinstein labs report demonstrate how weak bonds can be leveraged to achieve self-strengthening in polymer network materials. These weak sacrificial bonds trigger mechanochemical reactions, forming new networks rapidly enough to reinforce the material during deformation and significantly improve crack resistance. Article Link

A team from the Klausen , Nelson , Kulik , and Craig labs report a novel chemical design for accelerated mechanochemical bond scission based on replacing a single carbon atom in a crosslinker with a silicon atom. They show seamless incorporation of these scissile carbosilanes to toughen 3D-printed networks, which demonstrates their suitability for additive manufacturing processes. Article Link

A team from the Craig , Olsen , and Rubinstein labs, in collaboration with others at MIT, systematically study the fracture mechanics of polymer-like networks with hybrid bond strengths to reveal that varying the ratio of strong and weak strands within otherwise identical networks gives a non-monotonic relationship between intrinsic fracture energy and strong strand fraction.   The interplay between concentration and clustering of strand types in networks with hybrid bond strengths, combined with crack growth phenomena and nonlocal energy release, provides insights into unusual fracture characteristics in polymer networks and percolated lattices. Article Link