PVT properties and equations of state of polystyrene: molecular weight dependence of the characteristic parameters in equation-of-state theories

Molecular Simulations and Mechanistic Analysis of the Effect of CO2 Sorption on Thermodynamics, Structure, and Local Dynamics of Molten Atactic Polystyrene

A simulation strategy encompassing different scales was applied to the systematic study of the effects of CO₂ uptake on the properties of atactic polystyrene (aPS) melts. The analysis accounted for the influence of temperature between 450 and 550 K, polymer molecular weights (M _w) between 2100 and 31000 g/mol, and CO₂ pressures up to 20 MPa on the volumetric, swelling, structural, and dynamic properties of the polymer as well as on the CO₂ solubility and diffusivity by performing molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of the system in a fully atomistic representation. A hierarchical scheme was used for the generation of the higher M _w polymer systems, which consisted of equilibration at a coarse-grained level of representation through efficient connectivity-altering Monte Carlo simulations, and reverse-mapping back to the atomistic representation, obtaining the configurations used for subsequent MD simulations. Sorption isotherms and associated swelling effects were determined by using an iterative procedure that incorporated a series of MD simulations in the NPT ensemble and the Widom test particle insertion method, while CO₂ diffusion coefficients were extracted from long MD runs in the NVE ensemble. Solubility and diffusivity compared favorably with experimental results and with predictions of the Sanchez-Lacombe equation of state, which was reparametrized to capture the M _w dependence of polymer properties with greater accuracy. Structural features of the polymer matrix were correctly reproduced by the simulations, and the effects of gas concentration and M _w on structure and local dynamics were thoroughly investigated. In the presence of CO₂, a significant acceleration of the segmental dynamics of the polymer occurred, more pronouncedly at low M _w. The speed-up effect caused by the swelling agent was not limited to the chain ends but affected the whole chain in a similar fashion.

Subcritical failure of soft acrylic adhesives under tensile stress

The mechanisms of failure over time of a series of model acrylic pressure-sensitive adhesives under a moderate level of stress has been investigated with a probe method. Two competing mechanisms of failure have been observed: a progressive nucleation of cavities under stress and the propagation of existing cavities at the interface between the probe and the adhesive layer. Homogeneous creep of the adhesive was never observed as the only failure mechanism. In situations where the resistance to crack propagation was good relative to the resistance to cavitation, extensive nucleation of cavities was observed until a material-dependent and stable value of stress was achieved. On the other hand in situations were the resistance to crack propagation was weak, propagation led invariably to a complete failure of the adhesive bond. In addition to the stress relaxation, the energy dissipation was studied allowing to distinguish the different adhesives even further. This allowed determination of the optimal amount of a comonomer (acrylic acid) that had to be added to improve the long-term resistance of the adhesives under study. Further more we investigate the compliance of the confined adhesive layers and compare the obtained results to predictions from theoretical models.