A molecular dynamics simulation scenario for studying solvent-mediated interactions of polymers and application to thermoresponse of poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) in water

Modeling Solution Behavior of Poly(N-isopropylacrylamide): A Comparison between Water Models

Water is known to play a fundamental role in determining the structure and functionality of macromolecules. The same crucial contribution is also found in the in silico description of polymer aqueous solutions. In this work, we exploit the widely investigated synthetic polymer poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM) to understand the effect of the adopted water model on its solution behavior and to refine the computational setup. By means of atomistic molecular dynamics simulations, we perform a comparative study of PNIPAM aqueous solution using two advanced water models: TIP4P/2005 and TIP4P/Ice. The conformation and hydration features of an atactic 30-mer at infinite dilution are probed at a range of temperature and pressure suitable to detect the coil-to-globule transition and to map the P–T phase diagram. Although both water models can reproduce the temperature-induced coil-to-globule transition at atmospheric pressure and the polymer hydration enhancement that occurs with increasing pressure, the PNIPAM–TIP4P/Ice solution shows better agreement with experimental findings. This result can be attributed to a stronger interaction of TIP4P/Ice water with both hydrophilic and hydrophobic groups of PNIPAM, as well as to a less favorable contribution of the solvent entropy to the coil-to-globule transition.

Insights into the Thermal Response of a Poly(ethylene oxide)-poly(propylene oxide)-poly(ethylene oxide) Triblock Polymer in Water

A thermal responsive block copolymer made up of ethylene oxide (EO) and propylene oxide (PO) blocks was simulated with optimized atomistic potentials and enhanced sampling methods over a range of temperatures. The results for the L42 pluronic polymer (EO)₄(PO)₂₂(EO)₄, which is known to undergo a transition in this temperature range, and the similarly sized (EO)₃₀ polymer, which does not, are compared. The thermal responsive L42 polymers in a dilute solution tend to aggregate, and this tendency gets stronger as temperature increases. The poly(ethylene oxide) polymer shows no such tendency. The aggregation is stabilized by the hydrophobic contact of the propylene oxide methyl groups, which outweighs a small loss in hydrogen bonds between the ether oxygens and water.

Atomic scale investigation of the volume phase transition in concentrated PNIPAM microgels

Combining elastic incoherent neutron scattering and differential scanning calorimetry, we investigate the occurrence of the volume phase transition (VPT) in very concentrated poly-(N-isopropyl-acrylamide) (PNIPAM) microgel suspensions, from a polymer weight fraction of 30 wt. % up to dry conditions. Although samples are arrested at the macroscopic scale, atomic degrees of freedom are equilibrated and can be probed in a reproducible way. A clear signature of the VPT is present as a sharp drop in the mean square displacement of PNIPAM hydrogen atoms obtained by neutron scattering. As a function of concentration, the VPT gets smoother as dry conditions are approached, whereas the VPT temperature shows a minimum at about 43 wt. %. This behavior is qualitatively confirmed by calorimetry measurements. Molecular dynamics simulations are employed to complement experimental results and gain further insights into the nature of the VPT, confirming that it involves the formation of an attractive gel state between the microgels. Overall, these results provide evidence that the VPT in PNIPAM-based systems can be detected at different time- and length-scales as well as under overcrowded conditions.

Towards the realistic computer model of precipitation polymerization microgels

In this paper we propose a new method of coarse-grained computer simulations of the microgel formation in course of free radical precipitation polymerization. For the first time, we simulate the precipitation polymerization process from a dilute solution of initial components to a final microgel particle with coarse grained molecular dynamics, and compare it to the experimental data. We expect that our simulation studies of PNIPA-like microgels will be able to elucidate the subject of nucleation and growth kinetics and to describe in detail the network topology and structure. Performed computer simulations help to determine the characteristic phases of the growth process and show the necessity of prolongated synthesis for the formation of stable microgel particles. We demonstrate the important role of dangling ends in microgels, which occupy as much as 50% of its molecular mass and have previously unattended influence on the swelling behavior. The verification of the model is made by the comparison of collapse curves and structure factors between simulated and experimental systems, and high quality matching is achieved. This work could help to open new horizons in studies that require the knowledge of detailed and realistic structures of the microgel networks.

From Microscale to Macroscale: Nine Orders of Magnitude for a Comprehensive Modeling of Hydrogels for Controlled Drug Delivery

Because of their inherent biocompatibility and tailorable network design, hydrogels meet an increasing interest as biomaterials for the fabrication of controlled drug delivery devices. In this regard, mathematical modeling can highlight release mechanisms and governing phenomena, thus gaining a key role as complementary tool for experimental activity. Starting from the seminal contribution given by Flory-Rehner equation back in 1943 for the determination of matrix structural properties, over more than 70 years, hydrogel modeling has not only taken advantage of new theories and the increasing computational power, but also of the methods offered by computational chemistry, which provide details at the fundamental molecular level. Simulation techniques such as molecular dynamics act as a "computational microscope" and allow for obtaining a new and deeper understanding of the specific interactions between the solute and the polymer, opening new exciting possibilities for an in silico network design at the molecular scale. Moreover, system modeling constitutes an essential step within the "safety by design" paradigm that is becoming one of the new regulatory standard requirements also in the field-controlled release devices. This review aims at providing a summary of the most frequently used modeling approaches (molecular dynamics, coarse-grained models, Brownian dynamics, dissipative particle dynamics, Monte Carlo simulations, and mass conservation equations), which are here classified according to the characteristic length scale. The outcomes and the opportunities of each approach are compared and discussed with selected examples from literature.