Numerical simulation of transient nonlinear behaviors of electric-sensitive hydrogel membrane under an external electric field

A multi-physics model is developed to predict the transient nonlinear behaviors of electric-stimulus- responsive hydrogels when the hydrogels are immersed into a bathing solution subject to an externally applied electric field. The presently developed model consists of the transient convection-diffusion equations for concentration distribution of diffusive ions, the Poisson equation for electric field and the mechanical equations for deformation. In consideration of the mathematical model involving chemo-electro-mechanics, a true meshfree, implicit numerical scheme is implemented for solution of the transient nonlinear partial differential governing equations. The transient responds including the hydrogel deformation, ionic concentrations and electric potentials interior and exterior the hydrogel are numerically investigated, in which the simulating results in good agreement with the experimental or published results validate the presently developed multi-field model.