Polymer Gel Rheology and Adhesion

Polymer gels are found in many applications ranging from foods (Ross-Murphy, 1995; Tunick, 2010) and drug delivery (Andrews & Jones, 2006) to adhesives (Creton, 2003) and consumer products (Solomon & Spicer, 2010). By manipulating the gel’s microstructure, a wide variety of physical properties can be achieved ranging from hard rubbery plastics to soft hydrogels. Silicone-based polymer gels in particular have found wide utilization in consumer products ranging from medical implants to cooking utensils. Here we will discuss methods of characterizing polymer gels using rheological techniques to probe their adhesion and mechanical response. Further, we will link the observed adhesion and mechanical behavior to the gel microstructure.