The Nonlinear Elasticity of Slide-Ring Gel Under Large Deformation

Slide-ring gels exhibit enhanced stretchability and toughness compared to conventional gels due to the pulley-like sliding mechanism of their rings. This sliding allows monomers to redistribute along polymer chains, balancing forces between strands and preventing tension accumulation. Previous theoretical studies have primarily focused on the elasticity of slide-ring gels within the regime where chain statistics are Gaussian, However, under large deformations, the finite extensibility of chains and the formation of ring clusters significantly alter the network elasticity. We propose a new theoretical framework to explain the nonlinear elasticity of slide-ring gels under large deformations, accounting for ring clustering effects, and validate our model through molecular dynamics simulations.