Dresden 2026 – scientific programme

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CPP: Fachverband Chemische Physik und Polymerphysik

CPP 49: Gels, Polymer Networks and Elastomers I

CPP 49.3: Talk

Thursday, March 12, 2026, 12:00–12:15, ZEU/0255

Probing Mechanical Properties of Magnetic Gels Using Computer Simulations — •Yashas Tejaskumar Gandhi, Christian Holm, and Rudolf Weeber — Institute For Computational Physics, University of Stuttgart, Germany

Magnetic gels are liquid swollen polymer networks embedded with magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs). Their motion, shape and mechanical properties can be governed by an external magnetic field. The mechanical properties of a magnetic gel depend on both the polymer network and the embedded MNPs. They can also be heated by applying an AC magnetic field due to viscous and hysteresis losses.

There are two ways to probe the mechanical properties of magnetic gels: at the nanoscopic level using AC susceptometry, and at the macroscopic level by measuring stress under deformation. While macroscopic measurements are relatively straightforward, they are computationally demanding. The Gemant-DiMarzio-Bishop theory provides a framework for connecting magnetic AC susceptibility data to nanoscale mechanical properties. Our objective is to test this theory in computer simulations by comparing nanoscale measurements with macroscale measurements.

The polymer network is modelled as a coarse-grained bead-spring system. We also incorporate a solvent model for hydrodynamic interactions in the system. Shear deformation is applied using periodic Lees-Edwards boundary conditions. Our simulations use the 'Extensible Simulation Package for Research on Soft Matter Systems (ESPResSo)' simulation package.

Keywords: Magnetic Gels; Viscoelasticity; Nanorheology; Polymer Network; Magnetic Nanoparticles