Characterizing dissipated energy density distribution and damage zone in double network hydrogels

The double network hydrogels (DN gels) process high fracture toughness due to their considerable energy dissipation during fracture. To effectively interpret the energy dissipation, it is imperative to conduct a study on the quantitative characterization of the dissipated energy density distribution and the damage zone around the crack tip. In this study, we propose a series of tearing tests on pre-stretched DN gel specimens to quantitatively characterize the dissipated energy density distribution. According to the dissipated energy density distribution, the damage zone of the DN gel during tearing is divided into three parts: hardening zone, yielding zone and pre-yielding zone. The dissipated energy density distribution determines both the feature size and the contribution of these damage zones to the fracture toughness. We reveal that both the dissipated energy density and the feature size of the damage zones significantly influence the fracture toughness. Additionally, this study delves into the effect of the first network's cross-linking degree on the dissipated energy density distribution and damage zone. The dissipated energy density distribution, determined by tearing test, is validated by available experimental results, which show good agreement. This study proposes a quantitatively experimental method to investigate the dissipated energy density distribution and damage zone. It is anticipated that this approach will provide new insights into the energy dissipation mechanism of soft materials. © 2024 Elsevier Ltd.