Indentation measurement has emerged as a crucial technique for elucidating the
mechanical properties of soft hydrated materials. These materials, encompassing gels, cells …

The swelling behavior of hydrogels, involving coupled diffusion and large deformations,
makes them ideal for biomedical applications such as micro-and nano-scale drug delivery …

At cell-matrix contacts, an elastocapillary effect arises in addition to active cell traction. The
coexistence of active extracellular traction and other interfacial forces at the contacts blurs …

Surfaces of soft solids can have significant surface stress, extensional modulus and bending
stiffness. Previous theoretical studies have usually examined cases in which both the …

Because of the huge specific surface area at the micro/nano scale, inter-surface adhesion
and surface effects play a critical role in the behavior of solid-to-solid contact. The inter …

Adhesive contact of soft materials has many significant applications, including the fabrication
of microelectronic systems, transfer of flexible electronic devices, and antifouling coatings …

The surface of soft solids carries a surface stress that tends to flatten surface profiles. For
example, surface features on a soft solid, fabricated by moulding against a stiff-patterned …

In the past decade, many experiments have indicated that the surfaces of soft elastic solids
can resist deformation by surface stresses. A common soft elastic solid is a hydrogel which …

Soft solids such as silicone gels, with bulk shear modulus ranging from∼ 10 to 1000 kPa,
exhibit strongly strain-dependent surface stresses. Moreover, unlike conventional stiffer …

Using the well-known Lennard–Jones potential and a recently proposed surface energy
density-based elastic theory, we analyze the adhesive contact behavior between a rigid …