Preserving long rubber chains unlocks performance that conventional processing compromises! In our latest @PNASNews paper, we show that avoiding mastication shifts silica-reinforced rubber into a regime of toughness and stiffness seldom observed.

Truly an honor (!) to co-organize a special issue in Chemical Reviews (@ACSPublications) on "Tough Gels" with two of my heroes @zhigangsuo and Prof. Gong. Excellent contributions from leaders in the field. pubs.acs.org/toc/chreay/126/… #MyACSCover Cred: S. Lee

Our paper in celebration of Prof. Michael Rubinstein on his 70th birthday is online. Carbon black reinforced natural rubber is everywhere in daily life. Conventional high-intensity mixing processes cut long rubber chains and reduce the mechanical performance. Here, we demonstrate that preserving long rubber chains greatly amplifies toughness while maintaining modulus. Check out the paper for details. Great thanks to all coauthors! @MWM_Tan @XianyangB @GuodongNian @ykutsovsky @zhigangsuo pubs.rsc.org/en/content/arti…

The MWM Lab at Nanyang Technological University, is recruiting PhD students interested in topology-designed polymers: exploring how polymer structure and network architecture control mechanical performance, durability, and circularity (recyclable & biodegradable systems).

Our review paper is online!😀 pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs… This review focuses on the thermodynamic framework for crack growth in polymer networks, experimental measurements of crack resistance, and how molecular design enable tough, durable soft materials. Many thanks to @zhigangsuo

It was great fun to have you @MWM_Tan in the group. Thank you so much for bringing so much energy to everything you do. Best wishes for the new beginning.

My talk at MRS last week went well. The 30-minute talk imposed discipline. The talk stimulated good conversations. Here are slides for the talk, with links to papers. docs.google.com/presentation…

Our paper is online. We study how crosslink density affects viscoelasticity and crack growth in tanglemers, polymer networks in which entanglements outnumber crosslinks. authors.elsevier.com/c/1m6YB… @zhigangsuo @XianyangB

Yours truly humbly moderated the Materials Panel. All-star panelists: Peidong Yang, Berkeley Xuanhe Zhao, MIT Kristin Persson, Berkeley Zhenan Bao, Stanford

Often the aim of writing a paper is to formulate a hypothesis and test it. In writing the paper, we are open minded about our hypothesis. But once a hypothesis has been formulated and tested, one should finish writhing the paper. Leave any new hypothesis to another paper.

A report on our recent paper New Tires Could End Up Ten Times Tougher With Harvard's Crack-Resistant Rubber @GuodongNian @ZheqiChen @XianyangB @MWM_Tan @ykutsovsky jalopnik.com/1896687/new-tir… jalopnik.com/1896687/new-tir…

Slides for a talk titled "Tanglemers--Processes and Properties," with links to papers. docs.google.com/presentation…

Covalent bonds along a polymer chain are much stronger than noncovalent bonds between polymer chains. In this paper in Nature Communications, we show that noncovalent bonds of intermediate strength enable high modulus, high toughness, but low hysteresis.doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-5…

Materials scientists have devised a way to produce natural rubber that retains its key properties of stretchiness and durability while greatly improving its ability to resist cracking, even after repeated cycles of use. bit.ly/4dpEHCl

Our paper is online! 😀 We developed a tough hydrogel that achieves high modulus, high fatigue threshold, and low hysteresis — simultaneously! 🔗 nature.com/articles/s41467-0… Many thanks to @zhigangsuo @ZheqiChen @GuodongNian @MWM_Tan @ykutsovsky @Christine_h_ahn

Most condoms are made from latex, by dip-coating, without mastication. The process differs in detail from the process described in our paper. It will be interesting to compare the two processes. @ykutsovsky @MWM_Tan @ChenghaiLi3 @XianyangB piped.video/yBlzsymHZ5I?si=il2A…

A powerful strategy to develop materials for sustainability is to reimagine the existing economically important materials. In a new paper published in Nature Sustainability, we show that the performance of natural rubber can be greatly enhanced.suo.seas.harvard.edu/files/s…

Our paper is online! Preserving long chains in natural rubber forms a network with long strands, dense entanglements, and strain-induced crystallization, greatly enhancing crack resistance. nature.com/articles/s41893-0… @ZheqiChen @XianyangB @MWM_Tan @ykutsovsky @zhigangsuo

I enjoy teaching, especially the end of a semester. The course on fracture ended on last Wednesday.

Professor Yi Cui, of Stanford University, @yicuistanford, will give this webinar. Please kindly repost. Register now⤵️