Swelling of polyelectrolyte hydrogels using a finite element model

In this work, a modular finite element model is proposed to describe the swelling of a poly(acrylic acid) hydrogel for optical applications under the influence of an electric field. The module divides the problem into five parts, depending on the specific energy domain involved. This includes electrical, chemical, force, mechanical and optical components. Each part is then solved sequentially to provide the final result. Initial predictions for the deformation are acceptable, and suggest that only a certain amount of energy may be available to deform the hydrogel during the swelling process.