Mechanical instability of gels at the phase transition

Abstract

Polymer gels, consisting of a cross-linked polymer network immersed in liquid, undergo a volume phase transition: when external conditions such as temperature or solvent composition change, a gel reversibly swells or shrinks, but does so discontinuously^1–5. The volume change at the transition can be as large as a factor of one thousand², and the phenomenon occurs in all gels^6,7. The equilibrium aspects of the phase transition have been extensively studied, but its kinetics have not yet been fully explored. In particular, the appearance of patterns on the originally smooth surface of a gel during the transition makes the kinetic process difficult to understand. Here we elucidate the physical basis underlying the formation and evolution of the pattern.