Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Elastin is Responsible for Tissue Elasticity01:12

Elastin is Responsible for Tissue Elasticity

2.5K
Elastic fiber contains the protein elastin along with lesser amounts of other proteins and glycoproteins. The main property of elastin is that it will return to its original shape after being stretched or compressed. Elastic fibers are prominent in elastic tissues found in skin and the elastic ligaments of the vertebral column.
Ligaments and tendons are made of dense regular connective tissue, but in ligaments not all fibers are parallel. Dense regular elastic tissue contains elastin fibers and...
2.5K
Strain-Energy Density01:20

Strain-Energy Density

563
Understanding the strain energy density in materials under axial load is crucial for evaluating their mechanical behavior and durability. When a rod is subjected to such a load, it elongates and stores energy, known as strain energy, as potential energy within the material. This energy is measured in terms of energy per unit volume.
In the elastic region of a material, the relationship between the stress and the strain is linear and follows Hooke's Law. The strain energy density in this...
563
Members Made of Elastoplastic Material01:19

Members Made of Elastoplastic Material

174
The behavior of elastoplastic materials under bending stresses, particularly in structural members with rectangular cross-sections, is crucial for predicting material responses and understanding failure modes. Initially, when a bending moment is applied, the stress distribution across the section follows Hooke's Law and is linear and elastic. This distribution means the stress increases from the neutral axis to the maximum at the outer fibers, up to the elastic limit.
As the bending moment...
174
Hooke's Law01:26

Hooke's Law

601
Hooke's law, a pivotal principle in material science, establishes that the strain a material undergoes is directly proportional to the applied stress, defined by a factor called the modulus of elasticity or Young's modulus.
601
Dense Connective Tissue01:13

Dense Connective Tissue

9.3K
Dense connective tissue contains more collagen fibers than loose connective tissue. As a consequence, it displays greater resistance to stretching. There are two major categories of dense connective tissue— regular and irregular.
Dense Regular Connective Tissue
In dense regular connective tissue, fibers are arranged parallel to each other, enhancing its tensile strength and resistance to stretching in the direction of the fiber orientations. Ligaments and tendons are made of dense regular...
9.3K
Elasticity01:12

Elasticity

4.0K
Elasticity is the ability of an object to withstand the effects of distortion and to return to its original size and shape once the forces causing deformation are removed. When an elastic material deforms under the action of an external force, it experiences internal resistance to the deformation. However, if no external force is applied, it returns to its original state.
The elasticity of an object can be described by a stress-strain curve, which represents the relationship between stress...
4.0K

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

A receptor-like mechanosensitive protein governs preprophase band positioning for asymmetric cell divisions and SC morphogenesis.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·2026
Same author

From Light to Life: Molecular Mechanisms and Macroscopic Transformations in Photoresponsive Hydrogels.

Polymer science & technology (Washington, D.C.)·2026
Same author

Dual pH- and Concentration-Dependent K<sup>+</sup> Transporter with Auto-Regulation and Anticancer Activity.

JACS Au·2026
Same author

Viscoelastic Hydrogels Governed by Molecular Interactions and Mechanochemical Effects.

Polymers·2026
Same author

Mechanically Induced Adaptive Self-Growing Protein Hydrogel.

Advanced materials (Deerfield Beach, Fla.)·2026
Same author

Formation of S- and Z-twist supramolecular micro-ropes by peptide stereoisomers.

Nature communications·2026

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Sep 25, 2025

Synthesis of Programmable Main-chain Liquid-crystalline Elastomers Using a Two-stage Thiol-acrylate Reaction
11:17

Synthesis of Programmable Main-chain Liquid-crystalline Elastomers Using a Two-stage Thiol-acrylate Reaction

Published on: January 19, 2016

22.1K

Superstretchable, yet stiff, fatigue-resistant ligament-like elastomers.

Mengxue Li1, Lili Chen1, Yiran Li2

  • 1Key Lab of Organic Optoelectronics & Molecular Engineering, Department of Chemistry, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China.

Nature Communications
|April 28, 2022
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Researchers developed a novel elastomer mimicking ligaments with exceptional stretchability and toughness. This material

More Related Videos

Fabrication of a Bioactive, PCL-based "Self-fitting" Shape Memory Polymer Scaffold
09:37

Fabrication of a Bioactive, PCL-based "Self-fitting" Shape Memory Polymer Scaffold

Published on: October 23, 2015

12.8K
Fabrication Process of Silicone-based Dielectric Elastomer Actuators
10:32

Fabrication Process of Silicone-based Dielectric Elastomer Actuators

Published on: February 1, 2016

34.0K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Sep 25, 2025

Synthesis of Programmable Main-chain Liquid-crystalline Elastomers Using a Two-stage Thiol-acrylate Reaction
11:17

Synthesis of Programmable Main-chain Liquid-crystalline Elastomers Using a Two-stage Thiol-acrylate Reaction

Published on: January 19, 2016

22.1K
Fabrication of a Bioactive, PCL-based "Self-fitting" Shape Memory Polymer Scaffold
09:37

Fabrication of a Bioactive, PCL-based "Self-fitting" Shape Memory Polymer Scaffold

Published on: October 23, 2015

12.8K
Fabrication Process of Silicone-based Dielectric Elastomer Actuators
10:32

Fabrication Process of Silicone-based Dielectric Elastomer Actuators

Published on: February 1, 2016

34.0K

Area of Science:

  • Materials Science
  • Biomaterials Engineering
  • Polymer Chemistry

Background:

  • Ligaments require a unique combination of flexibility, stiffness, toughness, and fatigue resistance for joint support.
  • Synthetic elastomers struggle to simultaneously achieve high stretchability, stiffness, toughness, and fatigue resistance due to inherent material design conflicts.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To overcome the incompatibility of key mechanical properties in synthetic elastomers.
  • To design and synthesize an elastomer with properties mimicking natural ligaments for applications in soft robotics.

Main Methods:

  • Development of a hierarchical crosslinking strategy.
  • Incorporation of a dynamic double-crosslinking network utilizing Li+-O interactions and PMMA nanoaggregates.
  • Characterization of the elastomer's mechanical properties, including stretchability, Young's modulus, toughness, and fatigue threshold.

Main Results:

  • The synthesized elastomer demonstrates an extraordinary 30,000% stretchability.
  • Achieved a Young's modulus of 18 MPa and toughness of 228 MJ m⁻³.
  • Exhibited a high fatigue threshold of 2,682 J m⁻², comparable to natural ligaments.

Conclusions:

  • The hierarchical crosslinking design successfully resolves the long-standing mismatch in elastomer mechanical properties.
  • The dynamic double-crosslinking network enables hierarchical energy dissipation, crucial for high performance.
  • The developed elastomer shows significant potential as artificial ligaments in soft robotics applications.