Abstract Mechanotransduction is the initiation of an electrochemical signal as a result of mechanical stimuli. It is found predominately in biological tissue and its mechanisms are well documented. In the gel like tissues of the body, such as articular cartilage and intervertebral discs, mechanotransduction regulates matrix building and degrading processes as well as keeping the tissues adequately hydrated, both with the aim of minimizing degradation. The electrochemical responses to mechanical loading at constant volume of an inanimate hydrogel could assist in the understanding of these processes. There is considerable evidence that the modulus of hydrated tissues and hydrogels depend explicitly on ionic concentration. By modeling the mechano-electrochemical relationship of a hydrogel, the coupling of the elastic and electrochemical energies can be quantified. In turn, the mechanisms that govern this phenomenon can be better understood. This study modifies the Flory-Rehner theory of gels, using material-specific experimental data as input. The results show up to a 11% difference in equilibrium swelling magnitude compared to the Flory-Rehner model. Furthermore, under isochoric deformation, an increase in electrical potential is shown with increasing shear strain, something which is not possible with conventional Flory-Rehner and Donnan theory. This aligns the continuum model presented here more closely with both experiment and microscopic theories. The mechanosensing capabilities as well as varying swelling responses in different solution concentrations highlight the models potential applications in both biological and technological settings.

中文翻译：

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机械传感水凝胶的三维机械电化学材料模型

摘要 机械转导是由于机械刺激而引发的电化学信号。它主要存在于生物组织中，其机制有据可查。在身体的凝胶状组织（如关节软骨和椎间盘）中，机械传导调节基质构建和降解过程以及保持组织充分水合，这两者的目的都是为了最大程度地减少降解。在无生命水凝胶的恒定体积下对机械载荷的电化学响应有助于理解这些过程。有大量证据表明，水合组织和水凝胶的模量明确取决于离子浓度。通过模拟水凝胶的机械-电化学关系，弹性能和电化学能的耦合可以量化。反过来，可以更好地理解控制这种现象的机制。该研究使用特定于材料的实验数据作为输入，修改了凝胶的 Flory-Rehner 理论。结果表明，与 Flory-Rehner 模型相比，平衡溶胀量的差异高达 11%。此外，在等容变形下，电位随着剪切应变的增加而增加，这是传统的 Flory-Rehner 和 Donnan 理论无法实现的。这使这里提出的连续模型与实验和微观理论更接近。