Micromechanical modeling for viscoplastic properties of enzyme degradable semi-crystalline poly (ε-caprolactone)

This work provide theoretical understandings for the enzyme-degradable PCL, and assist its structural designs and engineering applications. An energy-dependent evolution model is developed to reflect the enzyme-triggered decrystallization of crystals and the further dissolution by applying a chain-broken chemical reaction. Then, the mechanical properties of the enzyme-degradable semicrystalline PCL is modelled through the homogenization-based procedure by the volume-average of a collection of laminated inclusions with crystals and amorphous phase. A dual-phase-lag diffusion model is advanced to solve the enzyme concentrations in the PCL. The model is calibrated by the experiments and then applied for the chemomechanical properties of the PCL when under enzyme conditions. Some numerical examples are conducted to discuss effects of the enzyme concentration and the crystallinity on the crystallographic axe evolution as well as the overall chemomechanical properties of the semicrystalline PCL.