Keynote lecture: Fracture propagation in polymeric transient networks

International audienceWe investigate the fracture nucleation and propagation of reversible double transient networks, constituted of water solutions of entangled surfactant wormlike micelles reversibly linked by various amounts of telechelic polymers thus producing transient double networks when the micelles are sufficiently long and entangled. Two different geometries of fracture are considered: (i) For a filament stretching geometry, we provide a state diagram that delineates the regime of fracture without necking of the filament from the regime where no fracture or break-up has been observed. We show that filaments fracture when stretched at a rate larger than the inverse of the slowest relaxation time of the networks. We quantitatively demonstrate that dissipation processes are not relevant in our experimental conditions and that, depending on the density of nodes in the networks, fracture occurs in the linear viscoelastic regime or in a nonlinear regime. In addition, analysis of the crack opening profiles indicates deviations from a parabolic shape close to the crack tip for weakly connected networks. We demonstrate a direct correlation between the amplitude of the deviation from the parabolic shape and the amount of nonlinear viscoelasticity [1].(ii) For a Hele-Shaw cell geometry based on the injection of a low viscosity fluid into the viscoelastic material confined between two plates, we show that cracks nucleate when the sample deformation rate involved is comparable to the inverse of the shortest relaxation time scale of the networks. For a double network, significant rearrangements of the micelles occur as a crack nucleates and propagates. We show that birefringence develops at the crack tip over a finite length, ξ, which corresponds to the length scale over which micelle alignment occurs. We find that ξ is larger for slower cracks, suggesting an increase of ductility