title: Thermoresponsive Toughening with Crack Bifurcation in Phase-Separated Hydrogels under Isochoric Conditions.
abstract: A novel mode of gel toughening displaying crack bifurcation is highlighted in phase-separated hydrogels. By exploring original covalent network topologies, phase-separated gels under isochoric conditions demonstrate advanced thermoresponsive mechanical properties: excellent fatigue resistance, self-healing, and remarkable fracture energies. Beyond the phase-transition temperature, the fracture proceeds by a systematic crack-bifurcation process, unreported so far in gels.
authors.affiliation: ESPCI ParisTech, PSL - Research University, Sorbonne Universités, UPMC Univ. Paris 06, Laboratoire Sciences et Ingénierie de la Matière Molle, CNRS UMR CNRS 7615, 10 Rue Vauquelin, F-75231, Paris 5, France.
authors.forename: Hui
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Guo
authors.affiliation: ESPCI ParisTech, PSL - Research University, Sorbonne Universités, UPMC Univ. Paris 06, Laboratoire Sciences et Ingénierie de la Matière Molle, CNRS UMR CNRS 7615, 10 Rue Vauquelin, F-75231, Paris 5, France.
authors.forename: Nicolas
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Sanson
authors.affiliation: ESPCI ParisTech, PSL - Research University, Sorbonne Universités, UPMC Univ. Paris 06, Laboratoire Sciences et Ingénierie de la Matière Molle, CNRS UMR CNRS 7615, 10 Rue Vauquelin, F-75231, Paris 5, France.
authors.forename: Dominique
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Hourdet
authors.affiliation: ESPCI ParisTech, PSL - Research University, Sorbonne Universités, UPMC Univ. Paris 06, Laboratoire Sciences et Ingénierie de la Matière Molle, CNRS UMR CNRS 7615, 10 Rue Vauquelin, F-75231, Paris 5, France.
authors.forename: Alba
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Marcellan
keywords: crack bifurcation; fracture resistance; isochoric conditions; network topology; thermoresponsive hydrogels; volume-phase transition