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Gubała D, Slastanova A, Matthews L, Islas L, Wąsik P, Cacho-Nerin F, Ferreira Sanchez D, Robles E, Chen M, Briscoe WH. Effects of Erucamide on Fiber "Softness": Linking Single-Fiber Crystal Structure and Mechanical Properties. ACS NANO 2024. [PMID: 38334316 PMCID: PMC10883039 DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.4c00114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/10/2024]
Abstract
Erucamide is known to play a critical role in modifying polymer fiber surface chemistry and morphology. However, its effects on fiber crystallinity and mechanical properties remain to be understood. Here, synchrotron nanofocused X-ray Diffraction (nXRD) revealed a bimodal orientation of the constituent polymer chains aligned along the fiber axis and cross-section, respectively. Erucamide promoted crystallinity in the fiber, leading to larger and more numerous lamellae crystallites. The nXRD nanostructual characterization is complemented by single-fiber uniaxial tensile tests, which showed that erucamide significantly affected fiber mechanical properties, decreasing fiber tensile strength and stiffness but enhancing fiber toughness, fracture strain, and ductility. To correlate these single-fiber nXRD and mechanical test results, we propose that erucamide mediated slip at the interfaces between crystallites and amorphous domains during stress-induced single-fiber crystallization, also decreasing the stress arising from the shear displacement of microfibrils and deformation of the macromolecular network. Linking the single-fiber crystal structure with the single-fiber mechanical properties, these findings provide the direct evidence on a single-fiber level for the role of erucamide in enhancing fiber "softness".
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Affiliation(s)
- Dajana Gubała
- School of Chemistry, University of Bristol, Cantock's Close, Bristol BS8 1TS, U.K
| | - Anna Slastanova
- School of Chemistry, University of Bristol, Cantock's Close, Bristol BS8 1TS, U.K
| | - Lauren Matthews
- School of Chemistry, University of Bristol, Cantock's Close, Bristol BS8 1TS, U.K
- Bristol Centre for Functional Nanomaterials, HH Wills Physics Laboratory, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1TL, U.K
| | - Luisa Islas
- School of Chemistry, University of Bristol, Cantock's Close, Bristol BS8 1TS, U.K
| | - Patryk Wąsik
- School of Chemistry, University of Bristol, Cantock's Close, Bristol BS8 1TS, U.K
- Bristol Centre for Functional Nanomaterials, HH Wills Physics Laboratory, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1TL, U.K
| | - Fernando Cacho-Nerin
- Diamond Light Source, Diamond House, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Didcot, Oxfordshire OX11 0DE, U.K
| | | | - Eric Robles
- Procter & Gamble Newcastle Innovation Centre, Whitley Road, Longbenton, Newcastle NE12 9TS, U.K
| | - Meng Chen
- Procter & Gamble Technology (Beijing) Co., Ltd., 35 Yu'an Rd, Shunyi District, Beijing 101312, China
| | - Wuge H Briscoe
- School of Chemistry, University of Bristol, Cantock's Close, Bristol BS8 1TS, U.K
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Cammarata MDM, Contin MD, Negri RM, Factorovich MH. Diffusion Coefficients of Variable-Size Amphiphilic Additives in a Glass-Forming Polyethylene Matrix. J Phys Chem B 2024; 128:312-328. [PMID: 38146058 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.3c04904] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2023]
Abstract
Diffusion of additives in polymers is an important issue in the plastics industry since migratory-type molecules are widely used to tune the properties of polymeric composites. Predicting the diffusional behavior of new additives can minimize the need for repetitive experiments. This work presents molecular dynamics simulations at the microsecond time scale and uses the MARTINI force field to estimate self-diffusion coefficients, D, of six monounsaturated amides and their analogs carboxylic acids in polyethylene matrices (PE, MW = 5600 Da). The results are strongly influenced by the glass-forming properties of the PE matrix, which we characterize by three distinct temperatures. The metastability region (T < 325 K), the glass transition temperature (Tg = 256-260 K), and the end of the transition (T ≅ 200 K). Self-diffusion mechanisms are inferred from the results of the dependence of D on the molecular mass of the additive, observing a Rouse-like behavior at high temperatures and deviations from it within the metastability region of the matrix. Interestingly, D values are nonsensitive to the nature of the considered polar head for additives of similar size. The temperature-dependent behavior of D follows, at fixed additive size, a linear Arrhenius pattern at high temperatures and a super Arrhenius trend at lower temperatures, which is well represented with a power law equation as predicted by the Mode Coupling Theory (MCT). We offer a conceptual explanation for the observed super-Arrhenius behavior. This explanation draws on Truhlar and Kohen's interpretation of the available energies at both the initial and the transition states along the diffusion pathway. The matrix's mobility significantly affects solute self-diffusion, yielding equal activation enthalpies for the Arrhenius region or the same power law parameters for the super-Arrhenius regime. Finally, we establish a one-to-one time-equivalence of the self-diffusion processes between CG and all-atom systems for the largest additives and the PE matrix in the high-temperature regime.
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Affiliation(s)
- María Del Mar Cammarata
- Departamento de Química Inorgánica, Analítica y Química Física/INQUIMAE, Facultad de Ciencias y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Ciudad Universitaria, Pab. II, Buenos Aires C1428EHA, Argentina
| | - Mario D Contin
- Departamento de Ciencias Química, Catedra de Química Analítica. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Junín 954, Buenos Aires C1113AAD, Argentina
| | - R Martín Negri
- Departamento de Química Inorgánica, Analítica y Química Física/INQUIMAE, Facultad de Ciencias y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Ciudad Universitaria, Pab. II, Buenos Aires C1428EHA, Argentina
| | - Matias H Factorovich
- Departamento de Química Inorgánica, Analítica y Química Física/INQUIMAE, Facultad de Ciencias y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Ciudad Universitaria, Pab. II, Buenos Aires C1428EHA, Argentina
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Eskhan A, Johnson D. Microscale characterization of abiotic surfaces and prediction of their biofouling/anti-biofouling potential using the AFM colloidal probe technique. Adv Colloid Interface Sci 2022; 310:102796. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cis.2022.102796] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2022] [Revised: 10/11/2022] [Accepted: 10/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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