Jeremy Cho (Mechanical Engineering) co-authored a paper published in Science Advances with Jean-François Louf, Nancy B. Lu, Margaret G. O’Connell, and Sujit S. Datta of Princeton University. The paper is "Under Pressure: Hydrogel Swelling in a Granular Medium." Hydrogels, which are polymeric materials that absorb water, are often used in agriculture to provide moisture in soil. However, hydrogels can become compressed and deformed when confined under stresses in granular media (such as in soils). In this paper, the authors elucidate the physical and chemical reasons for hydrogel deformation. They also provide insights on how to best tailor hydrogels for applications that involve physical confinement.
