James K. Knowles Lectures & Caltech Solid Mechanics Symposium

Zhigang Suo

Allen E. and Marilyn M. Puckett Professor of Mechanics and Materials

Harvard University

Topology and chemistry determine mechanical properties of polymers

The aspiration to develop polymers for sustainability, as well as functions, instigates advances in polymer science. This seminar draws upon recent experience in my group. We discover that a tanglemer, a polymer network in which entanglements greatly outnumber crosslinks, simultaneously achieves high modulus and high fatigue threshold. As a second example, a composite of multiple species of polymers separate into phases, but the coarsening of the phases can be arrested, leading to stable nanocomposites. These examples illustrate how topology and chemistry determine mechanical properties of polymers.

Zhigang Suo is Allen E. and Marilyn M. Puckett Professor of Mechanics and Materials at Harvard University. He earned a bachelor's degree from Xi'an Jiaotong University in 1985, and a Ph.D. degree from Harvard University in 1989. Suo joined the faculty of the University of California at Santa Barbara in 1989, Princeton University in 1997, and Harvard University in 2003. His research centers on the mechanical behavior of materials.