Laser-induced Cavitation for Understanding High-strain-rate Mechanical Behavior of Soft Materials

High-strain-rate mechanical properties of weakly cross-linked swollen polymeric system are relevant in understanding the dynamics and damage mechanisms of biological tissues under high-rate mechanical stimuli. We create laser-induced cavitation within synthetic soft materials and animal tissues using ablation seeds, which enable more consistent ablation. By absorbing a nanosecond infrared laser pulse, the ablation seed is vaporized and produces a rapidly expanding cavity. The expansion dynamics of the laser-induced cavity is observed using ultrafast laser pulses. In addition to the high-strain-rate cavitation behavior, structural features of the specimens before and after cavitation are also compared in order to correlate the real-time cavitation dynamics and structural characteristics of the soft materials. Our laser-induced cavitation approach can provide quantitative information and insight into the mechanisms that are important in the response of the soft materials under extreme loading conditions.