Mechanics of Soft Matter

Catalog description

This course will introduce students to the world of soft materials focusing on polymers, gels, and active materials such as biological tissues or active swarms. Its goals are to (1) imbue students with a strong understanding of how the underlying physics of “softly interacting” constituents drive their emergent mechanical responses at the macroscale in ways we can readily observe; and (2) introduce the arsenal of tools available for theoretically modeling, and experimentally characterizing soft and polymeric materials. Topics covered in this course include: (1) Rubber Elasticity & Nonlinear; (2) The Mechanics of Gels; (3) Viscoelastic Solids and Dynamically Bonded Networks; (4) Surface Tension and Capillary Action; and (5) Non-equilibrium Active Matter & Living Systems. Prerequisites: PHYS 131, ME 211, ME 331, ME 362. Offered in the Spring.