1
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Ghosh S, Douglas JF. Phase separation in the presence of fractal aggregates. J Chem Phys 2024; 160:104903. [PMID: 38469910 DOI: 10.1063/5.0190196] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2023] [Accepted: 02/16/2024] [Indexed: 03/13/2024] Open
Abstract
Liquid-liquid phase separation in diverse manufacturing and biological contexts often occurs in the presence of aggregated particles or complex-shaped structures that do not actively participate in the phase separation process, but these "background" structures can serve to direct the macroscale phase separation morphology by their local symmetry-breaking presence. We perform Cahn-Hilliard phase-field simulations in two dimensions to investigate the morphological evolution, wetting, and domain growth phenomena during the phase separation of a binary mixture in contact with model fractal aggregates. Our simulations reveal that phase separation initially accelerates around the fractal due to the driving force of wetting, leading to the formation of the target composition patterns about the fractals, as previously observed for circular particles. After the formation of a wetting layer on the fractal, however, we observe a dramatic slowing-down in the kinetics of phase separation, and the characteristic domain size eventually "pins" to a finite value or approaches an asymptotic scaling regime as an ordinary phase if the phase separation loses memory of the aggregates when the scale of phase separation becomes much larger than the aggregate. Furthermore, we perform simulations to examine the effects of compositional interference between fractals with a view to elucidating interesting novel morphological features in the phase-separating mixture. Our findings should be helpful in understanding the qualitative aspects of the phase separation processes in mixtures containing particle aggregates relevant for coating, catalyst, adhesive, and electronic applications as well as in diverse biological contexts, where phase separation occurs in the presence of irregular heterogeneities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Supriyo Ghosh
- Metallurgical & Materials Engineering Department, Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee, Uttarakhand 247667, India
| | - Jack F Douglas
- Materials Science & Engineering Division, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, Maryland 20899, USA
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2
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Jeong H, Gu J, Mwasame P, Patankar K, Yu D, Sing CE. Modeling the competition between phase separation and polymerization under explicit polydispersity. SOFT MATTER 2024; 20:681-692. [PMID: 38164983 DOI: 10.1039/d3sm01411h] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/03/2024]
Abstract
The dynamics of phase separation for polymer blends is important in determining the final morphology and properties of polymer materials; in practical applications, this phase separation can be controlled by coupling to polymerization reaction kinetics via a process called 'polymerization-induced phase separation'. We develop a phase-field model for a polymer melt blend using a polymerizing Cahn-Hilliard (pCH) formalism to understand the fundamental processes underlying phase separation behavior of a mixture of two species independently undergoing linear step-growth polymerization. In our method, we explicitly model polydispersity in these systems to consider different molecular-weight components that will diffuse at different rates. We first show that this pCH model predicts results consistent with the Carothers predictions for step-growth polymerization kinetics, the Flory-Huggins theory of polymer mixing, and the classical predictions of spinodal decomposition in symmetric polymer blends. The model is then used to characterize (i) the competition between phase separation dynamics and polymerization kinetics, and (ii) the effect of unequal reaction rates between species. For large incompatibility between the species (i.e. high χ), our pCH model demonstrates that the strength for phase separation directly corresponds to the kinetics of phase separation. We find that increasing the reaction rate k̃, first induces faster phase separation but this trend reverses as we further increase k̃ due to the competition between molecular diffusion and polymerization. In this case, phase separation is delayed for faster polymerization rates due to the rapid accumulation of slow-moving, high molecular weight components.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hyeonmin Jeong
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, 61801, USA.
| | - Junsi Gu
- Dow Chemical Company, Midland, MI, 48667, USA
| | | | | | - Decai Yu
- Dow Chemical Company, Midland, MI, 48667, USA
| | - Charles E Sing
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, 61801, USA.
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3
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Fernández-Rico C, Schreiber S, Oudich H, Lorenz C, Sicher A, Sai T, Bauernfeind V, Heyden S, Carrara P, Lorenzis LD, Style RW, Dufresne ER. Elastic microphase separation produces robust bicontinuous materials. NATURE MATERIALS 2024; 23:124-130. [PMID: 37884672 DOI: 10.1038/s41563-023-01703-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2023] [Accepted: 09/22/2023] [Indexed: 10/28/2023]
Abstract
Bicontinuous microstructures are essential to the function of diverse natural and synthetic systems. Their synthesis has been based on two approaches: arrested phase separation or self-assembly of block copolymers. The former is attractive for its chemical simplicity and the latter, for its thermodynamic robustness. Here we introduce elastic microphase separation (EMPS) as an alternative approach to make bicontinuous microstructures. Conceptually, EMPS balances the molecular-scale forces that drive demixing with large-scale elasticity to encode a thermodynamic length scale. This process features a continuous phase transition, reversible without hysteresis. Practically, EMPS is triggered by simply supersaturating an elastomeric matrix with a liquid, resulting in uniform bicontinuous materials with a well-defined microscopic length scale tuned by the matrix stiffness. The versatility of EMPS is further demonstrated by fabricating bicontinuous materials with superior mechanical properties and controlled anisotropy and microstructural gradients. Overall, EMPS presents a robust alternative for the bulk fabrication of homogeneous bicontinuous materials.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Hamza Oudich
- Department of Mechanical and Process Engineering, ETH Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | | | - Alba Sicher
- Department of Materials, ETH Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Tianqi Sai
- Department of Materials, ETH Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Viola Bauernfeind
- Adolphe Merkle Institute, University of Fribourg, Fribourg, Switzerland
| | | | - Pietro Carrara
- Department of Mechanical and Process Engineering, ETH Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Laura De Lorenzis
- Department of Mechanical and Process Engineering, ETH Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Robert W Style
- Department of Materials, ETH Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Eric R Dufresne
- Department of Materials, ETH Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland.
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Department of Physics, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA.
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4
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Sharratt W, Aoki Y, Pont S, Seddon D, Dewhurst C, Porcar L, Clarke N, Cabral JT. Thermodynamics of Highly Interacting Blend PCHMA/dPS by TOF-SANS. Macromolecules 2023; 56:5619-5627. [PMID: 37521248 PMCID: PMC10373520 DOI: 10.1021/acs.macromol.3c00511] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2023] [Revised: 06/10/2023] [Indexed: 08/01/2023]
Abstract
We investigate the thermodynamics of a highly interacting blend of poly(cyclohexyl methacrylate)/deuterated poly(styrene) (PCHMA/dPS) with small-angle neutron scattering (SANS). This system is experimentally challenging due to the proximity of the blend phase boundary (>200 °C) and degradation temperatures. To achieve the large wavenumber q-range and flux required for kinetic experiments, we employ a SANS diffractometer in time-of-flight (TOF) mode at a reactor source and ancillary microscopy, calorimetry, and thermal gravimetric analysis. Isothermal SANS data are well described by random-phase approximation (RPA), yielding the second derivative of the free energy of mixing (G″), the effective interaction (χ̅) parameter, and extrapolated spinodal temperatures. Instead of the Cahn-Hilliard-Cook (CHC) framework, temperature (T)-jump experiments within the one-phase region are found to be well described by the RPA at all temperatures away from the glass transition temperature, providing effectively near-equilibrium results. We employ CHC theory to estimate the blend mobility and G″(T) conditions where such an approximation holds. TOF-SANS is then used to precisely resolve G″(T) and χ̅(T) during T-jumps in intervals of a few seconds and overall timescales of a few minutes. PCHMA/dPS emerges as a highly interacting partially miscible blend, with a steep dependence of G″(T) [mol/cm3] = -0.00228 + 1.1821/T [K], which we benchmark against previously reported highly interacting lower critical solution temperature (LCST) polymer blends.
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Affiliation(s)
- William
N. Sharratt
- Department
of Chemical Engineering, Imperial College
London, London SW7 2AZ, U.K.
| | - Yutaka Aoki
- Department
of Chemical Engineering, Imperial College
London, London SW7 2AZ, U.K.
| | - Sebastian Pont
- Department
of Chemical Engineering, Imperial College
London, London SW7 2AZ, U.K.
| | - Dale Seddon
- Department
of Chemical Engineering, Imperial College
London, London SW7 2AZ, U.K.
| | - Charles Dewhurst
- Institut
Laue Langevin, 71 Avenue des Martyrs, 38000 Grenoble, France
| | - Lionel Porcar
- Institut
Laue Langevin, 71 Avenue des Martyrs, 38000 Grenoble, France
| | - Nigel Clarke
- Department
of Physics, The University of Sheffield, Sheffield S10 2TN, U.K.
| | - João T. Cabral
- Department
of Chemical Engineering, Imperial College
London, London SW7 2AZ, U.K.
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5
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Sukhavattanakul P, Pisitsak P, Ummartyotin S, Narain R. Polysaccharides for Medical Technology: Properties and Applications. Macromol Biosci 2023; 23:e2200372. [PMID: 36353915 DOI: 10.1002/mabi.202200372] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2022] [Revised: 10/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
Over the past decade, the use of polysaccharides has gained tremendous attention in the field of medical technology. They have been applied in various sectors such as tissue engineering, drug delivery system, face mask, and bio-sensing. This review article provides an overview and background of polysaccharides for biomedical uses. Different types of polysaccharides, for example, cellulose and its derivatives, chitin and chitosan, hyaluronic acid, alginate, and pectin are presented. They are fabricated in various forms such as hydrogels, nanoparticles, membranes, and as porous mediums. Successful development and improvement of polysaccharide-based materials will effectively help users to enhance their quality of personal health, decrease cost, and eventually increase the quality of life with respect to sustainability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pongpat Sukhavattanakul
- Department of Materials and Textile Technology, Faculty of Science and Technology, Thammasat University, Pathum, Thani, 12120, Thailand
| | - Penwisa Pisitsak
- Department of Materials and Textile Technology, Faculty of Science and Technology, Thammasat University, Pathum, Thani, 12120, Thailand
| | - Sarute Ummartyotin
- Department of Materials and Textile Technology, Faculty of Science and Technology, Thammasat University, Pathum, Thani, 12120, Thailand
| | - Ravin Narain
- Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering, University of Alberta, Edmonton, T6G1H9, Canada
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6
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Xiang Z, Li J, You P, Han L, Qiu M, Chen G, He Y, Liang S, Xiang B, Su Y, An H, Li S. Turing patterns with high-resolution formed without chemical reaction in thin-film solution of organic semiconductors. Nat Commun 2022; 13:7422. [PMID: 36456581 PMCID: PMC9715637 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-35162-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2022] [Accepted: 11/21/2022] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Regular patterns can form spontaneously in chemical reaction-diffusion systems under non-equilibrium conditions as proposed by Alan Turing. Here, we found that regular patterns can be generated in uphill-diffusion solution systems without a chemical reaction process through both in-situ and ex-situ observations. Organic semiconductor solution is confined between two parallel plates with controlled micron/submicron-meter distance to minimize convection of the liquid and avoid spinodal precipitation at equilibrium. The solvent evaporation concentrates the solution gradually into an oversaturated non-equilibrium condition, under which a phase-transition occurs and ordered concentration-waves are generated. By proper tuning of the experimental parameter, multiple regular patterns with micro/nano-meter scaled features (line, square-grid, zig-zag, and fence-like patterns etc.) were observed. We explain the observed phenomenon as Turing-pattern generation resulted from uphill-diffusion and solution oversaturation. The generated patterns in the solutions can be condensed onto substrates to form structured micro/nanomaterials. We have fabricated organic semiconductor devices with such patterned materials to demonstrate the potential applications. Our observation may serve as a milestone in the progress towards a fundamental understanding of pattern formation in nature, like in biosystem, and pave a new avenue in developing self-assembling techniques of micro/nano structured materials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zezhong Xiang
- College of New Materials and New Energies, Shenzhen Technology University, Shenzhen, 518118, China
| | - Jin Li
- Electrical Engineering Division, University of Cambridge, 9 JJ Thomson Avenue, Cambridge, CB3 0FA, UK
| | - Peng You
- College of New Materials and New Energies, Shenzhen Technology University, Shenzhen, 518118, China
| | - Linbo Han
- College of Health Science and Environmental Engineering, Shenzhen Technology University, Shenzhen, 518118, China
| | - Mingxia Qiu
- College of New Materials and New Energies, Shenzhen Technology University, Shenzhen, 518118, China
| | - Gengliang Chen
- Sino-German College of Intelligent Manufacturing, Shenzhen Technology University, Shenzhen, 518118, China
| | - Yu He
- College of New Materials and New Energies, Shenzhen Technology University, Shenzhen, 518118, China
| | - Songqiang Liang
- College of New Materials and New Energies, Shenzhen Technology University, Shenzhen, 518118, China
| | - Boyuan Xiang
- College of New Materials and New Energies, Shenzhen Technology University, Shenzhen, 518118, China
| | - Yaorong Su
- College of New Materials and New Energies, Shenzhen Technology University, Shenzhen, 518118, China
| | - Hongyu An
- College of New Materials and New Energies, Shenzhen Technology University, Shenzhen, 518118, China
| | - Shunpu Li
- College of New Materials and New Energies, Shenzhen Technology University, Shenzhen, 518118, China.
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7
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Phala K, Mapossa AB, Augustyn W, Combrinck S, Botha B. Development of EVA and LLDPE polymer-based carvone and spearmint essential oil release systems for citrus postharvest diseases applications. ARAB J CHEM 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.arabjc.2022.104458] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
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8
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Seo HM, Kim S, Kwon S, Kim Y, Sung M, Yang J, Lee B, Sung J, Kang MH, Park J, Shin K, Lee WB, Kim JW. Two-dimensional demixing within multilayered nanoemulsion films. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2022; 8:eabn0597. [PMID: 36260677 PMCID: PMC9581487 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abn0597] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2021] [Accepted: 09/07/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Benefiting from the demixing of substances in the two-phase region, a smart polymer laminate film system that exhibits direction-controlled phase separation behavior was developed in this study. Here, nanoemulsion films (NEFs) in which liquid nanodrops were uniformly confined in a polymer laminate film through the layer-by-layer deposition of oppositely charged emulsion nanodrops and polyelectrolytes were fabricated. Upon reaching a critical temperature, the NEFs exhibited a micropore-guided demixing phenomenon. A simulation study based on coarse-grained molecular dynamics revealed that the perpendicular diffusion of oil droplets through the micropores generated in the polyelectrolyte layer is crucial for determining the coarsening kinetics and phase separation level, which is consistent with the experimental results. Considering the substantial advantages of this unique and tunable two-dimensional demixing behavior, the viability of using the as-proposed NEF system for providing an efficient route for the development of smart drug delivery patches was demonstrated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hye Min Seo
- School of Chemical Engineering, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon 16419, Republic of Korea
| | - Seulwoo Kim
- School of Chemical and Biological Engineering and Institute of Chemical Process, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Republic of Korea
| | - Sangwoo Kwon
- School of Chemical and Biological Engineering and Institute of Chemical Process, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Republic of Korea
| | - YongJoo Kim
- School of Advanced Materials Engineering, Kookmin University, Seoul 02707, Republic of Korea
| | - Minchul Sung
- School of Chemical Engineering, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon 16419, Republic of Korea
| | - Jongryeol Yang
- School of Chemical Engineering, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon 16419, Republic of Korea
| | - Boryeong Lee
- School of Chemical Engineering, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon 16419, Republic of Korea
| | - Jongbaek Sung
- School of Chemical and Biological Engineering and Institute of Chemical Process, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Republic of Korea
- Center for Nanoparticle Research, Institute for Basic Science (IBS), Seoul 08826, Republic of Korea
| | - Min-Ho Kang
- Department of Biomedical-Chemical Engineering, Catholic University of Korea, Bucheon 14662, Republic of Korea
- Department of Biotechnology, Catholic University of Korea, Bucheon 14662, Republic of Korea
| | - Jungwon Park
- School of Chemical and Biological Engineering and Institute of Chemical Process, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Republic of Korea
- Center for Nanoparticle Research, Institute for Basic Science (IBS), Seoul 08826, Republic of Korea
| | - Kyounghee Shin
- School of Chemical Engineering, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon 16419, Republic of Korea
| | - Won Bo Lee
- School of Chemical and Biological Engineering and Institute of Chemical Process, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Republic of Korea
| | - Jin Woong Kim
- School of Chemical Engineering, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon 16419, Republic of Korea
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9
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Leguizamon SC, Ahn J, Lee S, Jones BH. Tuneable phase behaviour and glass transition via polymerization-induced phase separation in crosslinked step-growth polymers. SOFT MATTER 2022; 18:4455-4463. [PMID: 35661857 DOI: 10.1039/d2sm00485b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Once limited to chain-growth polymerizations, fine control over polymerization-induced phase separation (PIPS) has recently been demonstrated in rubber-toughened thermoset materials formed through step-growth polymerizations. The domain length scales of these thermoset materials can be elegantly tuned by utilizing a binary mixture of curing agents (CAs) that individually yield disparate morphologies. Importantly, varying the composition of the binary mixture affects characteristics of the materials such as glass transition temperature and tensile behavior. Here, we establish a full phase diagram of PIPS in a rubber-toughened epoxy system tuned by a binary CA mixture to provide a robust framework of phase behaviour. X-Ray scattering in situ and post-PIPS is employed to elucidate the PIPS mechanism whereby an initial polymerization-induced compositional fluctuation causes nanoscale phase separation of rubber and epoxy components prior to local chain crosslinking and potential macrophase separation. We further demonstrate the universality of this approach by alternatively employing binary epoxy or binary rubber mixtures to achieve broad variations in morphology and glass transitions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samuel C Leguizamon
- Department of Organic Materials Science, Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, NM, 87185, USA.
| | - Juhong Ahn
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY, 12180, USA
| | - Sangwoo Lee
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY, 12180, USA
| | - Brad H Jones
- Department of Organic Materials Science, Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, NM, 87185, USA.
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10
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Ali S, Mao Y, Prabhu VM. Pinhole mirror-based ultra-small angle light scattering setup for simultaneous measurement of scattering and transmission. THE REVIEW OF SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENTS 2022; 93:044104. [PMID: 35489920 DOI: 10.1063/5.0086146] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2022] [Accepted: 03/19/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
An ultra-small angle light scattering setup with the ability of simultaneous registration of scattered light by a charge-coupled device camera and the transmitted direct beam by a pin photodiode was developed. A pinhole mirror was used to reflect the scattered light; the transmitted direct beam was focused and passed through the central pinhole with a diameter of 500 μm. Time-resolved static light scattering measurement was carried out over the angular range 0.2° ≤θ≤ 8.9° with a time resolution of ∼33 ms. The measured scattering pattern in the q-range between 5 × 10-5 and 1.5 × 10-3 nm-1 enables investigating structures of few micrometers to submillimeter, where q is the scattering vector. A LabVIEW-based graphical user interface was developed, which integrates the data acquisition of the scattering pattern and the transmitted intensity. The Peltier temperature-controlled sample cells of varying thicknesses allow for a rapid temperature equilibration and minimization of multiple scattering. The spinodal decomposition for coacervation (phase separation) kinetics of an aqueous mixture of oppositely charged polyelectrolytes was demonstrated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samim Ali
- Material Measurement Laboratory, National Institute of Standards and Technology, 100 Bureau Drive, Gaithersburg, Maryland 20899, USA
| | - Yimin Mao
- Center for Neutron Research, National Institute of Standards and Technology, 100 Bureau Drive, Gaithersburg, Maryland 20899, USA
| | - Vivek M Prabhu
- Material Measurement Laboratory, National Institute of Standards and Technology, 100 Bureau Drive, Gaithersburg, Maryland 20899, USA
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11
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König B, Ronsin OJJ, Harting J. Two-dimensional Cahn-Hilliard simulations for coarsening kinetics of spinodal decomposition in binary mixtures. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2021; 23:24823-24833. [PMID: 34714899 DOI: 10.1039/d1cp03229a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
The evolution of the microstructure due to spinodal decomposition in phase separated mixtures has a strong impact on the final material properties. In the late stage of coarsening, the system is characterized by the growth of a single characteristic length scale L ∼ Ctα. To understand the structure-property relationship, the knowledge of the coarsening exponent α and the coarsening rate constant C is mandatory. Since the existing literature is not entirely consistent, we perform phase field simulations based on the Cahn-Hilliard equation. We restrict ourselves to binary mixtures using a symmetric Flory-Huggins free energy and a constant composition-independent mobility term and show that the coarsening for off-critical mixtures is slower than the expected t1/3-growth. Instead, we find α to be dependent on the mixture composition and associate this with the observed morphologies. Finally, we propose a model to describe the complete coarsening kinetics including the rate constant C.
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Affiliation(s)
- Björn König
- Helmholtz Institute Erlangen-Nürnberg for Renewable Energy, Forschungszentrum Jülich, Fürther Str. 248, 90429 Nürnberg, Germany.
| | - Olivier J J Ronsin
- Helmholtz Institute Erlangen-Nürnberg for Renewable Energy, Forschungszentrum Jülich, Fürther Str. 248, 90429 Nürnberg, Germany.
| | - Jens Harting
- Helmholtz Institute Erlangen-Nürnberg for Renewable Energy, Forschungszentrum Jülich, Fürther Str. 248, 90429 Nürnberg, Germany. .,Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering and Department of Physics, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Fürther Straße 248, 90429 Nürnberg, Germany
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12
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Li S, Li J, Chun Y, Shrestha PK, Chang X, Pivnenko M, Chu D. Variety of Ordered Patterns in Donor-Acceptor Polymer Semiconductor Films Crystallized from Solution. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2021; 13:19055-19063. [PMID: 33861560 PMCID: PMC8153537 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.1c00079] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2021] [Accepted: 04/06/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
A huge challenge is to control the nucleation of crystallites/aggregates in the solution during polymer film formation to generate desired structures. In this work, we investigate crystallization of P(NDI2OD-T2), a donor-acceptor polymer semiconductor, with controlled solution flow along the contact line between the drying film and solution through a seesaw-like pivoting of samples during polymer drying. By controlling the pivoting frequency/amplitude, various types of line patterns can be observed: (I) an array of fishbone-like stripes oriented in the film-growth direction; (II) the pinning-depinning of contact line (PDCL)-mechanism-defined patterned wires along the contact line; and (III) periodic twined crystalline line pattern oriented in the direction of the contact line. The rich variety of pattern formation observed is attributed to the distinctiveness of the donor-acceptor conjugated polymer structure. The result measured from thin-film transistors made of the generated films/structures showed that the charge mobility of P(NDI2OD-T2) does not change much with the film morphology, which supports recent controversy over the charge-transportation mechanism of some donor-acceptor polymer semiconductors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shunpu Li
- Centre
for Photonic Devices and Sensors, University
of Cambridge, 9 JJ Thomson Avenue, Cambridge CB3 0FA, United Kingdom
- College
of New Materials and New Energies, Shenzhen
Technology University, Shenzhen 518118, China
| | - Jin Li
- Centre
for Photonic Devices and Sensors, University
of Cambridge, 9 JJ Thomson Avenue, Cambridge CB3 0FA, United Kingdom
| | - Youngtea Chun
- Centre
for Photonic Devices and Sensors, University
of Cambridge, 9 JJ Thomson Avenue, Cambridge CB3 0FA, United Kingdom
- Department
of Electronic Material Engineering, Korea
Maritime and Ocean University, Busan 49112, South
Korea
| | - Pawan K. Shrestha
- Centre
for Photonic Devices and Sensors, University
of Cambridge, 9 JJ Thomson Avenue, Cambridge CB3 0FA, United Kingdom
| | - Xin Chang
- Centre
for Photonic Devices and Sensors, University
of Cambridge, 9 JJ Thomson Avenue, Cambridge CB3 0FA, United Kingdom
| | - Mike Pivnenko
- Centre
for Photonic Devices and Sensors, University
of Cambridge, 9 JJ Thomson Avenue, Cambridge CB3 0FA, United Kingdom
| | - Daping Chu
- Centre
for Photonic Devices and Sensors, University
of Cambridge, 9 JJ Thomson Avenue, Cambridge CB3 0FA, United Kingdom
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13
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14
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Huang T, He G, Xue J, Otoo O, He X, Jiang H, Zhang J, Yin Y, Jiang Z, Douglin JC, Dekel DR, Guiver MD. Self-crosslinked blend alkaline anion exchange membranes with bi-continuous phase separated morphology to enhance ion conductivity. J Memb Sci 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.memsci.2019.117769] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
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15
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Aoki Y, Sharratt W, Wang H, O’Connell R, Pellegrino L, Rogers S, Dalgliesh RM, Higgins JS, Cabral JT. Effect of Tacticity on the Phase Behavior and Demixing of PαMSAN/dPMMA Blends Investigated by SANS. Macromolecules 2020. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.macromol.9b02115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Yutaka Aoki
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, U.K
| | - William Sharratt
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, U.K
| | - Haoyu Wang
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, U.K
| | - Roisin O’Connell
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, U.K
| | - Luca Pellegrino
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, U.K
| | - Sarah Rogers
- ISIS, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Harwell, Didcot, OX11 0QX, U.K
| | | | - Julia S. Higgins
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, U.K
| | - João T. Cabral
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, U.K
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16
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Hood J, Van Gordon K, Thomson P, Coleman BR, Burns F, Moffitt MG. Structural hierarchy in blends of amphiphilic block copolymers self-assembled at the air-water interface. J Colloid Interface Sci 2019; 556:392-400. [PMID: 31472313 DOI: 10.1016/j.jcis.2019.08.080] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2019] [Revised: 08/21/2019] [Accepted: 08/22/2019] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
We present a concurrent self-assembly strategy for patterning hierarchical polymeric surface features by depositing variable-composition blends of polystyrene-block-poly(ethylene oxide) (PS-b-PEO) and polybutadiene-block-poly(ethylene oxide) (PB-b-PEO) block copolymers at the air-water interface. Hierarchical strand networks of hydrophobic PS/PB blocks anchored via PEO blocks to the water surface, with an internal phase-separation structure consisting of periodic domains of PS blocks surrounded and connected by a matrix of PB blocks, are generated by the interplay of interfacial amphiphilic block copolymer aggregation and polymer/polymer phase separation. In contrast to the cylinder-in-strand structures previously formed by our group in which interfacial microphase separation between PS and PB blocks was constrained by chemical connectivity between the blocks, in the current system phase separation between PS and PB is not constrained by chemical connectivity and yet is confined laterally within surface features at the air-water interface. Investigations of multi-component polymer systems with different connectivities constraining repulsive and attractive interactions provides routes to new hierarchical surface patterns for a variety of applications, including photolithography masks, display technology, surface-guided cell growth and tissue engineering.
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Affiliation(s)
- Janet Hood
- Department of Chemistry, University of Victoria, PO Box 1700 Stn CSC, Victoria, BC V8W 2Y2, Canada
| | - Kyle Van Gordon
- Department of Chemistry, University of Victoria, PO Box 1700 Stn CSC, Victoria, BC V8W 2Y2, Canada
| | - Patricia Thomson
- Department of Chemistry, University of Victoria, PO Box 1700 Stn CSC, Victoria, BC V8W 2Y2, Canada
| | - Brian R Coleman
- Department of Chemistry, University of Victoria, PO Box 1700 Stn CSC, Victoria, BC V8W 2Y2, Canada
| | - Fraser Burns
- Department of Chemistry, University of Victoria, PO Box 1700 Stn CSC, Victoria, BC V8W 2Y2, Canada
| | - Matthew G Moffitt
- Department of Chemistry, University of Victoria, PO Box 1700 Stn CSC, Victoria, BC V8W 2Y2, Canada
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17
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Affiliation(s)
- Gaoyuan Wang
- Institute for Theoretical Physics, Georg-August-University, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
| | - Yongzhi Ren
- Institute for Theoretical Physics, Georg-August-University, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
- Key Lab of In-fiber Integrated Optics, Ministry Education of China, Harbin Engineering University, Harbin, China
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Engineering of Polymers, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Marcus Müller
- Institute for Theoretical Physics, Georg-August-University, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
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18
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Banc A, Pincemaille J, Costanzo S, Chauveau E, Appavou MS, Morel MH, Menut P, Ramos L. Phase separation dynamics of gluten protein mixtures. SOFT MATTER 2019; 15:6160-6170. [PMID: 31317157 DOI: 10.1039/c9sm00966c] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
We investigate by time-resolved synchrotron ultra-small X-ray scattering the dynamics of liquid-liquid phase-separation (LLPS) of gluten protein suspensions following a temperature quench. Samples at a fixed concentration (237 mg ml-1) but with different protein compositions are investigated. In our experimental conditions, we show that fluid viscoelastic samples depleted in polymeric glutenin phase-separate following a spinodal decomposition process. We quantitatively probe the late stage coarsening that results from a competition between thermodynamics that speeds up the coarsening rate as the quench depth increases and transport that slows down the rate. For even deeper quenches, the even higher viscoelasticity of the continuous phase leads to a "quasi" arrested phase separation. Anomalous phase-separation dynamics is by contrast measured for a gel sample rich in glutenin, due to elastic constraints. This work illustrates the role of viscoelasticity in the dynamics of LLPS in protein dispersions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amélie Banc
- Laboratoire Charles Coulomb (L2C), Univ. Montpellier, CNRS, Montpellier, France.
| | - Justine Pincemaille
- Laboratoire Charles Coulomb (L2C), Univ. Montpellier, CNRS, Montpellier, France. and Ingénierie des Agro-polymères et Technologies Emergentes (IATE), Univ. Montpellier, CIRAD, INRA, Montpellier SupAgro, Montpellier, France
| | - Salvatore Costanzo
- Laboratoire Charles Coulomb (L2C), Univ. Montpellier, CNRS, Montpellier, France.
| | - Edouard Chauveau
- Laboratoire Charles Coulomb (L2C), Univ. Montpellier, CNRS, Montpellier, France.
| | - Marie-Sousai Appavou
- Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Jülich Centre for Neutron Science (JCNS) at Heinz Maier-Leibnitz Zentrum (MLZ) Lichtenbergstr. 1, 85748 Garching, Germany
| | - Marie-Hélène Morel
- Ingénierie des Agro-polymères et Technologies Emergentes (IATE), Univ. Montpellier, CIRAD, INRA, Montpellier SupAgro, Montpellier, France
| | - Paul Menut
- Ingénierie des Agro-polymères et Technologies Emergentes (IATE), Univ. Montpellier, CIRAD, INRA, Montpellier SupAgro, Montpellier, France and Ingénierie Procédés Aliments, AgroParisTech, INRA, Université Paris-Saclay, Massy, France
| | - Laurence Ramos
- Laboratoire Charles Coulomb (L2C), Univ. Montpellier, CNRS, Montpellier, France.
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19
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Aoki Y, Wang H, Sharratt W, Dalgliesh RM, Higgins JS, Cabral JT. Small Angle Neutron Scattering Study of the Thermodynamics of Highly Interacting PαMSAN/dPMMA Blends. Macromolecules 2019. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.macromol.8b02431] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Yutaka Aoki
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom
| | - Haoyu Wang
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom
| | - William Sharratt
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom
| | - Robert M. Dalgliesh
- Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, ISIS, Harwell, Didcot OX11 0QX, United Kingdom
| | - Julia S. Higgins
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom
| | - João T. Cabral
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom
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20
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Mohammadi Ghaleni M, Al Balushi A, Kaviani S, Tavakoli E, Bavarian M, Nejati S. Fabrication of Janus Membranes for Desalination of Oil-Contaminated Saline Water. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2018; 10:44871-44879. [PMID: 30511847 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.8b16621] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Desalination of oil-contaminated saline water using membrane distillation requires hydrophobic membranes with underwater superoleophobic surfaces. For designing such membranes, the chemistry and morphology of the interfacial domains in contact with the contaminated water need to be adjusted such that a stable water layer, adhering to the surface, prevents oil droplets from wetting the membrane. In this article, we present an approach that relies on the controlled functionalization of the surface of polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) membranes; we adjust the surface topography of the membranes and introduce chemical heterogeneity to them. We show that the morphology of the PVDF surface can be altered by adjusting the composition of the nonsolvent bath used for the phase inversion process. Also, we render the surface of the membranes hydrophilic by using an alkaline chemical bath solution. The membrane morphology and effectiveness of our chemical treatment were confirmed by atomic force microscopy (AFM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Fourier-transformed infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and zeta potential measurements. A stable underwater contact angle, higher than 150°, was observed for both canola oil (ρ ≈ 0.913 g cm-3, γ ≈ 31.5 mN m-1) and hexane (ρ ≈ 0.655 g cm-3, γ ≈ 18 mN m-1). We evaluated the performance of both pristine and functionalized membranes in a laboratory-scale direct contact membrane distillation (DCMD) setup and desalinated a saline solution contaminated with 500 ppm canola oil. Our results show that oil does not wet the functionalized membrane during the desalination process. The average permeate flux and salt rejection values for the functionalized membranes were 45 ± 5 Lm-2h-1 ( Tfeed = 70 °C, Tdistillate = 20 °C) and 99.99%, respectively.
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