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Concurrent Spatial Mapping Of The Viscoelastic Behavior Of Heterogeneous Soft Materials Via A Polymer-Based Microfluidic Device, Wenting Gu

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations

This dissertation presents a novel experimental technique, namely concurrent spatial mapping (CSM), for measuring the viscoelastic behavior of heterogeneous soft materials via a polymer-based microfluidic device. Comprised of a compliant polymer microstructure and an array of electrolyte-enabled distributed resistive transducers, the microfluidic device detects both static and dynamic distributed loads. Distributed loads deform the polymer microstructure and are recorded as resistance changes at the locations of the transducers.

The CSM technique identifies the elastic modulus of soft materials by applying a precisely controlled indentation depth using a rigid probe to a sample placed on the device. The spatially-varying elastic modulus …