Graphene oxide/poly(acrylic acid)/gelatin nanocomposite hydrogel: Experimental and numerical validation of hyperelastic model

• The role of GONS as reinforcement agent in PAA/Gel hydrogels is investigated.
• The linear and nonlinear mechanical properties of GO/PAA/Gel are investigated.
• Hydrogels with less than 0.3 wt.% GONS indicate enhanced mechanical properties.
• The Yeoh model is closely defined with the nonlinear mechanical behavior of hydrogels.

Owing to excellent thermal and mechanical properties, graphene-based nanomaterials have recently attracted intensive attention for a wide range of applications, including biosensors, bioseparation, drug release vehicle, and tissue engineering. In this study, the effects of graphene oxide nanosheet (GONS) content on the linear (tensile strength and strain) and nonlinear (hyperelastic coefficients) mechanical properties of poly(acrylic acid) (PAA)/gelatin (Gel) hydrogels are evaluated. The GONS with different content (0.1, 0.3, and 0.5 wt.%) is added into the prepared PAA/Gel hydrogels and composite hydrogels are subjected to a series of tensile and stress relaxation tests. Hyperelastic strain energy density functions (SEDFs) are calibrated using uniaxial experimental data. The potential ability of different hyperelastic constitutive equations (Neo-Hookean, Yeoh, and Mooney–Rivlin) to define the nonlinear mechanical behavior of hydrogels is verified by finite element (FE) simulations. The results show that the tensile strength (71%) and elongation at break (26%) of composite hydrogels are significantly increased by the addition of GONS (0.3 wt.%). The experimental data is well fitted with those predicted by the FE models. The Yeoh material model accurately defines the nonlinear behavior of hydrogels which can be used for further biomechanical simulations of hydrogels. This finding might have implications not only for the improvement of the mechanical properties of composite hydrogels but also for the fabrication of polymeric substrate materials suitable for tissue engineering applications.