Episode 11: Polymer necking revisited

In this podcast episode, MRS Bulletin’s Laura Leay interviews assistant professor Christos Athanasiou and postdoctoral researcher Danqi Sun from Georgia Institute of Technology about their research on introducing a new material state through polymer necking. After applying different strain rates to poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) then testing the material at different orientations, they discovered changes in mechanical behavior. They attributed these behaviors to changes in the microstructure. This work was published in a recent issue of the Journal of the Mechanics and Physics of Solids.