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Center for Nonlinear Studies |
We model the cross-linked polymer gel as a stretched elastic network of Lennard-Jones particles and study it by molecular dynamics simulations. We explore the phase diagram, identify the range of parameters in which microphase separation is observed and analyze the observed patterns. We discuss the microscopic origin of the formation of linear filaments and monitor and quantify the reorganization of the network both in the absence and in the presence of shear deformations. The effects of network heterogeneity are also studied.