  Soft particulate gels can reversibly yield when sufficient deformation is
applied, and the characteristics of this transition can be enhanced or limited
by designing hybrid hydrogel composites. While the microscopic dynamics and
macroscopic rheology of these systems have been studied separately in detail,
the development of direct connections between the two has been difficult,
particularly with regard to the non-linear rheology. To bridge this gap, we
perform a series of large amplitude oscillatory shear (LAOS) numerical
measurements on model soft particulate gels at different volume fractions using
coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulations. We first study a particulate
network with local bending stiffness and then we combine it with a second
component that can provide additional crosslinking to obtain two-component
networks. Through the sequence of physical processes (SPP) framework we define
time-resolved dynamic moduli and, by tracking the changes in these moduli
through the period, we can distinguish transitions in the material behavior as
a function of time. This approach helps us establish the microsopic origin of
the non-linear rheology by connecting the changes in dynamic moduli to the
corresponding microstructural changes during the deformation including the
non-affine displacement of particles, and the breakage, formation, and
orientation of bonds.
