@article {43,
	title = {Concurrent factors determine toughening in the hydraulic fracture of poroelastic composites},
	journal = {Meccanica},
	volume = {52},
	year = {2017},
	pages = {3489-3498},
	abstract = {<p align="justify">Brittle materials fail catastrophically. In consequence of their limited flaw-tolerance, failure occurs by localized fracture and is typically a dynamic process. Recently, experiments on epithelial cell monolayers have revealed that this scenario can be significantly modified when the material susceptible to cracking is adhered to a hydrogel substrate. Thanks to the hydraulic coupling between the brittle layer and the poroelastic substrate, such a composite can develop a toughening mechanism that relies on the simultaneous growth of multiple cracks. Here, we study this remarkable behaviour by means of a detailed model, and explore how the material and loading parameters concur in determining the macro- scopic toughness of the system. By extending a previous study, our results show that rapid loading conveys material toughness by promoting distributed cracking. Moreover, our theoretical findings may suggest innovative architectures of flaw-insensitive materials with higher toughness.\&nbsp;</p>},
	keywords = {brittle layer, cohesive zone, fracture, hydraulic fracture, hydrogel, multiple-cracking, toughening},
	doi = {10.1007/s11012-017-0621-5},
	author = {Alessandro Lucantonio and Giovanni Noselli}
}
@article {45,
	title = {Continuum theory of swelling material surfaces with applications to thermo-responsive gel membranes and surface mass transport},
	journal = {Journal of the Mechanics and Physics of Solids},
	volume = {89},
	year = {2016},
	pages = {96-109},
	abstract = {<p align="justify">Soft membranes are commonly employed in shape-morphing applications, where the material is programmed to achieve a target shape upon activation by an external trigger, and as coating layers that alter the surface characteristics of bulk materials, such as the properties of spreading and absorption of liquids. In particular, polymer gel membranes experience swelling or shrinking when their solvent content change, and the non-homogeneous swelling field may be exploited to control their shape. Here, we develop a theory of swelling material surfaces to model polymer gel membranes and demonstrate its features by numerically studying applications in the contexts of biomedicine, micro-motility, and coating technology. We also specialize the theory to thermo-responsive gels, which are made of polymers that change their affinity with a solvent when temperature varies.</p>},
	keywords = {drug delivery, material surface, membrane, micro-motility, polymer gel, spreading, swelling},
	doi = {10.1016/j.jmps.2016.02.001},
	author = {Alessandro Lucantonio and Luciano Teresi and Antonio DeSimone}
}
