Chase M. Hartquist

Chase M. Hartquist is a PhD candidate whose research focuses on developing and understanding soft materials and systems. Specifically, Chase investigates the mechanical and thermal responses of soft materials such as hydrogels and elastomers with controlled network architecture, with the aim of advancing new technologies and applications in this field. He has developed an elastomer that contains a homogenous network architecture and intrinsically toughens to prevent failure through strain-induced crystallization. Additionally, he has proposed that simulating macroscale polymer-like versions of these networks can produce similar relations between individual chains and bulk fracture properties. With the support of a MathWorks Fellowship, he will further characterize the structured elastomer and simulate polymer-like networks to investigate the interplay between network design, fracture theory, and performance. MathWorks tools have been an imperative component of this work. Chase’s research has the potential to advance pioneering applications of advanced-performance soft materials in many domains, from tissue engineering and wearable devices to soft robotics and solid-state cooling.