Presentation Date: Feb 14, 2026
AGSA Abstract
Frontal polymerization is a process where a self-propagating reaction in which a confined reaction zone, known as a "polymerization front," is induced by an initial stimulus (such as a thermal or light stimulus). The exothermic nature of polymerization within this front generates enough heat to raise the temperature at the reaction boundary to cause unreacted monomer to polymerize. Although numerous studies have explored the coupling between thermodynamics and rapid chemical kinetics in these systems and successfully accounted for experimentally observed thermo-chemical instabilities, far fewer have examined the role of mechanical forces that emerge during fabrication. Experimental evidence, however, suggests that local volume changes driven by the competing influences of thermal expansion and chemical shrinkage can cause substantial deformation or even failure in the final component. In this work a thiol-acrylate gel system is used to explore the effect of mechanical forces (Compression and torsion) on front kinetics. Gels are unique because they can effectively suppress bubble formation during frontal polymerization, which enhances structural integrity and supports efficient propagation of the polymerization front. Furthermore, the inherent versatility of gels permits the fabrication of diverse geometries prior to initiation, broadening their applicability across multiple domains.
