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Reversal of Solvent Migration in Poroelastic Folds

M. M. Flapper1, A. Pandey2, M. H. Essink1, E. H. van Brummelen3, S. Karpitschka4, and J. H. Snoeijer1

  • 1Physics of Fluids Group, Faculty of Science and Technology, Mesa+ Institute, University of Twente, 7500 AE Enschede, The Netherlands
  • 2Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering and BioInspired Syracuse, Syracuse University, Syracuse, New York 13244, USA
  • 3Multiscale Engineering Fluid Dynamics Group, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Eindhoven University of Technology, P.O. Box 513, 5600 MB Eindhoven, The Netherlands
  • 4Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organization, 37077 Göttingen, Germany

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Phys. Rev. Lett. 130, 228201 – Published 2 June, 2023

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.130.228201

Abstract

Polymer networks and biological tissues are often swollen by a solvent such that their properties emerge from a coupling between swelling and elastic stress. This poroelastic coupling becomes particularly intricate in wetting, adhesion, and creasing, for which sharp folds appear that can even lead to phase separation. Here, we resolve the singular nature of poroelastic surface folds and determine the solvent distribution in the vicinity of the fold tip. Surprisingly, two opposite scenarios emerge depending on the angle of the fold. In obtuse folds such as creases, it is found that the solvent is completely expelled near the crease tip, according to a nontrivial spatial distribution. For wetting ridges with acute fold angles, the solvent migration is reversed as compared to creasing, and the degree of swelling is maximal at the fold tip. We discuss how our poroelastic fold analysis offers an explanation for phase separation, fracture, and contact angle hysteresis.

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Phys. Rev. Lett. 130, 228201– Published 2 June, 2023
  • Received 2 September 2022
  • Accepted 4 April 2023
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Published by the American Physical Society under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license. Further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the published article’s title, journal citation, and DOI. Open access publication funded by the Max Planck Society.

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