Two-component hydrogels

Summary The elastic equations of state for 2-component networks are derived from a joint Gaussian distribution function composed of Gaussians for each component. The free energy of elasticity is then applied to the case of uni-directional deformations for compatible systems. The stress-strain equations are shown to be equivalent to those for a single component network except in the case where the macroscopic strain is sufficient to cause the ratio of average chain lengths of the components to change with the strain. The stress-strain equations are developed for both dry and swollen networks.The authors dedicate this paper to Prof. Dr. Hans Batzer on the occasion of his 60th birthday