1
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Pal S, Keten S. Micro-ballistic response of thin film polymer grafted nanoparticle monolayers. SOFT MATTER 2024; 20:7926-7935. [PMID: 39331362 DOI: 10.1039/d4sm00718b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/28/2024]
Abstract
Self-assembled polymer grafted nanoparticles (PGNs) are of great interest for their potential to enhance mechanical properties compared to neat polymers and nanocomposites. Apart from volume fraction of nanoparticles, recent experiments have suggested that nanoscale phenomena such as nanoconfinement of grafted chains, altered dynamics and relaxation behavior at the segmental and colloidal scales, and cohesive energy between neighboring coronas are important factors that influence mechanical and rheological properties. How these factors influence the mechanics of thin films subject to micro-ballistic impact remains to be fully understood. Here we examine the micro-ballistic impact resistance of PGN thin films with polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) grafts using coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulations. The grafted chain length and nanoparticle core densities are systematically varied to understand the influences of interparticle spacing, cohesion, and momentum transfer effects under high-velocity impact. Our findings show that the inter-PGN cohesive energy density (γPGN) is an important parameter for energy absorption. Cohesion energy density is low for short grafts but quickly saturates around entanglement length as adjacent coronas interpenetrate fully. The response of γPGN positively influences specific penetration energy, , which peaks before chain entanglement starts (
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Affiliation(s)
- Subhadeep Pal
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA.
| | - Sinan Keten
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA.
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA
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2
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Borówko M, Staszewski T. Molecular Dynamics Simulations of Different Nanoparticles at Substrates. Int J Mol Sci 2024; 25:4550. [PMID: 38674134 PMCID: PMC11050098 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25084550] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2024] [Revised: 04/17/2024] [Accepted: 04/19/2024] [Indexed: 04/28/2024] Open
Abstract
We report the results of large-scale molecular dynamics simulations of adsorption nanoparticles on solid surfaces. The particles were modeled as stiff aggregates of spherical segments. Three types of particles were studied: rods, rectangles, and triangles built of the same number of segments. We show how the particle shape affects the adsorption, the structure of the surface layer, and the degree of the removal of particles from the solvent. The systems with different segment-segment and segment-surface interactions and different concentrations of particles were investigated. The ordered structures formed in adsorption monolayers were also analyzed. The results are consistent with experimental observations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Małgorzata Borówko
- Department of Theoretical Chemistry, Institute of Chemical Sciences, Faculty of Chemistry, Maria Curie-Skłodowska University in Lublin, 20-031 Lublin, Poland;
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3
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Moussavi A, Pal S, Wu Z, Keten S. Characterizing the shear response of polymer-grafted nanoparticles. J Chem Phys 2024; 160:134903. [PMID: 38573850 DOI: 10.1063/5.0188494] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2023] [Accepted: 03/18/2024] [Indexed: 04/06/2024] Open
Abstract
Grafting polymer chains to the surface of nanoparticles overcomes the challenge of nanoparticle dispersion within nanocomposites and establishes high-volume fractions that are found to enable enhanced material mechanical properties. This study utilizes coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulations to quantify how the shear modulus of polymer-grafted nanoparticle (PGN) systems in their glassy state depends on parameters such as strain rate, nanoparticle size, grafting density, and chain length. The results are interpreted through further analysis of the dynamics of chain conformations and volume fraction arguments. The volume fraction of nanoparticles is found to be the most influential variable in deciding the shear modulus of PGN systems. A simple rule of mixture is utilized to express the monotonic dependence of shear modulus on the volume fraction of nanoparticles. Due to the reinforcing effect of nanoparticles, shortening the grafted chains results in a higher shear modulus in PGNs, which is not seen in linear systems. These results offer timely insight into calibrating molecular design parameters for achieving the desired mechanical properties in PGNs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arman Moussavi
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, USA
| | - Subhadeep Pal
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, USA
| | - Zhenghao Wu
- Department of Chemistry, Xi'an Jiaotong Liverpool University, Suzhou, People's Republic of China
| | - Sinan Keten
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, USA
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, USA
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4
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Gürel U, Keten S, Giuntoli A. Bidispersity Improves the Toughness and Impact Resistance of Star-Polymer Thin Films. ACS Macro Lett 2024; 13:302-307. [PMID: 38373272 PMCID: PMC10956491 DOI: 10.1021/acsmacrolett.3c00671] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2023] [Revised: 02/07/2024] [Accepted: 02/15/2024] [Indexed: 02/21/2024]
Abstract
Branched polymer architectures are used to tune the mechanical properties of impact-resistant thin films through parameters, such as chain length and grafting density. While chain dispersity affects molecular properties, such as interpenetration and entanglements, structure-property relationships accounting for dispersity are challenging to obtain experimentally and are often neglected in computational models. We employ molecular dynamics simulations to model the high-rate tensile elongation and nanoballistic impact of thin films composed of bidisperse star polymers with varying arm lengths. We find that, at fixed molecular weight, high dispersity can significantly enhance the toughness and impact resistance of the films without decreasing their elastic modulus. Bidisperse stars with fewer longer arms are less entangled, but stretch and interpenetrate for longer times during crazing, leading to increased toughness. These findings highlight controlled dispersity as a design strategy to improve the mechanical properties of polymer composites across Pareto fronts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Utku Gürel
- University
of Groningen, Zernike Institute for Advanced Materials, Nijenborgh 4, 9747AG Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Sinan Keten
- Department
of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Northwestern University, 2145 Sheridan Road, Evanston, Illinois 60208-3109, United States
- Department
of Mechanical Engineering, Northwestern
University, 2145 Sheridan Road, Evanston, Illinois 60208-3109, United States
| | - Andrea Giuntoli
- University
of Groningen, Zernike Institute for Advanced Materials, Nijenborgh 4, 9747AG Groningen, The Netherlands
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5
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Zhang X, Lyu Q, Chen X, Li M, Zhang L, Zhu J. Colloidal Photonic Composites with a Long-Range Order by Hot-Pressing Polymer Brush-Grafted Silica Colloids. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2024. [PMID: 38477047 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.4c00184] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/14/2024]
Abstract
Colloidal photonic composites (CPCs) are unique optical materials that combine flexible and responsive polymers with colloidal photonic crystals, and they have promising applications in colorful displays, optical anticounterfeiting, and visual sensors. However, conventional self-assembly strategies for constructing CPCs via solvent evaporation have faced limitations due to the meticulous regulation required during the evaporation process and typically long preparation durations. Here, we present an external force method to achieve a long-range ordered arrangement in CPCs by hot-pressing poly(2-[[(butylamino)carbonyl]oxy]ethyl acrylate (PBCOE)) brush-grafted silica colloidal particles (SiO2-g-PBCOE). We show that the hot-pressing conditions (i.e., temperature and pressure) and the silica volume fraction (φsilica) of the SiO2-g-PBCOE colloidal particles play crucial roles in determining their ordering and optical properties. By optimization of the hot-pressing temperature up to 100 °C and pressure of 5 MPa, a long-range ordered arrangement of SiO2-g-PBCOE colloidal particles with a φsilica of 20.3% can be achieved. For the effect of structural features, our findings reveal that SiO2-g-PBCOE colloidal particles featuring a higher φsilica are more prone to obtain a long-range ordered arrangement compared to a lower φsilica under hot-pressing conditions at relatively low temperature and pressure (50 °C and 5 MPa), which is mainly attributed to the chain entanglement and hydrogen bonding interactions induced by grafted longer polymer brushes, leading to additional energy inputs and weakening the ordering. Significantly, the critical φsilica (φc) of SiO2-g-PBCOE colloidal particles is discerned, strongly influencing the optical properties of the hot-pressed films. Specifically, a hot-pressed SiO2-g-PBCOE film with a critical φsilica of 29.3% displays enhanced optical properties characterized by intensified reflection peaks, narrowed full width at half-maximum (FWHM), and brilliant structural colors. Notably, in this work, we reveal the mechanism of hot-pressing-driven core-shell colloidal particle ordering and the key factors affecting the ordering of colloidal particles, i.e., chain entanglement and hydrogen-bonding interactions, which play a crucial role in obtaining CPCs with controllable structures. Moreover, angle-dependent structural color is observed in the hot-pressed SiO2-g-PBCOE film with a φsilica content of 29.3% due to the unique attributes of the highly ordered arrangement, while the films exhibit mechanochromic properties due to chain entanglement and hydrogen bonding interactions. This work provides valuable insights into the rapid construction of highly ordered CPCs and establishes a solid foundation for external force-assisted ordering of colloidal particles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiujuan Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Materials Processing and Die & Mould Technology and Key Lab of Material Chemistry for Energy Conversion & Storage of Ministry of Education (HUST), School of Chemistry & Chemical Engineering, Huazhong University of Science and Technology (HUST), Wuhan 430074, China
| | - Quanqian Lyu
- State Key Laboratory of Materials Processing and Die & Mould Technology and Key Lab of Material Chemistry for Energy Conversion & Storage of Ministry of Education (HUST), School of Chemistry & Chemical Engineering, Huazhong University of Science and Technology (HUST), Wuhan 430074, China
| | - Xiaodong Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Materials Processing and Die & Mould Technology and Key Lab of Material Chemistry for Energy Conversion & Storage of Ministry of Education (HUST), School of Chemistry & Chemical Engineering, Huazhong University of Science and Technology (HUST), Wuhan 430074, China
| | - Miaomiao Li
- State Key Laboratory of Materials Processing and Die & Mould Technology and Key Lab of Material Chemistry for Energy Conversion & Storage of Ministry of Education (HUST), School of Chemistry & Chemical Engineering, Huazhong University of Science and Technology (HUST), Wuhan 430074, China
| | - Lianbin Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Materials Processing and Die & Mould Technology and Key Lab of Material Chemistry for Energy Conversion & Storage of Ministry of Education (HUST), School of Chemistry & Chemical Engineering, Huazhong University of Science and Technology (HUST), Wuhan 430074, China
| | - Jintao Zhu
- State Key Laboratory of Materials Processing and Die & Mould Technology and Key Lab of Material Chemistry for Energy Conversion & Storage of Ministry of Education (HUST), School of Chemistry & Chemical Engineering, Huazhong University of Science and Technology (HUST), Wuhan 430074, China
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6
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Fink Z, Kim PY, Srivastava S, Ribbe AE, Hoagland DA, Russell TP. Evidence for Enhanced Tracer Diffusion in Densely Packed Interfacial Assemblies of Hairy Nanoparticles. NANO LETTERS 2023; 23:10383-10390. [PMID: 37955362 DOI: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.3c02989] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2023]
Abstract
Nearly monodisperse nanoparticle (NP) spheres attached to a nonvolatile ionic liquid surface were tracked by in situ scanning electron microscopy to obtain the tracer diffusion coefficient Dtr as a function of the areal fraction ϕ. The in situ technique resolved both tracer (gold) and background (silica) particles for ∼1-2 min, highlighting their mechanisms of diffusion, which were strongly dependent on ϕ. Structure and dynamics at low and moderate ϕ paralleled those reported for larger colloidal spheres, showing an increase in order and a decrease in Dtr by over 4 orders of magnitude. However, ligand interactions were more important near jamming, leading to different caging and jamming dynamics for smaller NPs. The normalized Dtr at ultrahigh ϕ depended on particle diameter and ligand molecular weight. Increasing the PEG molecular weight by a factor of 4 increased Dtr by 2 orders of magnitude at ultrahigh ϕ, indicating stronger ligand lubrication for smaller particles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zachary Fink
- Polymer Science and Engineering Department, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, Massachusetts 01003, United States
| | - Paul Y Kim
- Materials Sciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
| | - Satyam Srivastava
- Polymer Science and Engineering Department, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, Massachusetts 01003, United States
| | - Alexander E Ribbe
- Polymer Science and Engineering Department, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, Massachusetts 01003, United States
| | - David A Hoagland
- Polymer Science and Engineering Department, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, Massachusetts 01003, United States
| | - Thomas P Russell
- Polymer Science and Engineering Department, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, Massachusetts 01003, United States
- Materials Sciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
- Advanced Institute for Materials Research (WPI-AIMR), Tohoku University, 2-1-1 Katahira, Aoba, Sendai 980-8577, Japan
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7
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Cang Y, Sainidou R, Rembert P, Matyjaszewski K, Bockstaller M, Graczykowski B, Fytas G. Architecture Controls Phonon Propagation in All-Solid Brush Colloid Metamaterials. SMALL (WEINHEIM AN DER BERGSTRASSE, GERMANY) 2023:e2304157. [PMID: 37972268 DOI: 10.1002/smll.202304157] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2023] [Revised: 10/27/2023] [Indexed: 11/19/2023]
Abstract
Brillouin light scattering and elastodynamic theory are concurrently used to determine and interpret the hypersonic phonon dispersion relations in brush particle solids as a function of the grafting density with perspectives in optomechanics, heat management, and materials metrology. In the limit of sparse grafting density, the phonon dispersion relations bear similarity to polymer-embedded colloidal assembly structures in which phonon dispersion can be rationalized on the basis of perfect boundary conditions, i.e., isotropic stiffness transitions across the particle interface. In contrast, for dense brush assemblies, more complex dispersion characteristics are observed that imply anisotropic stiffness transition across the particle/polymer interface. This provides direct experimental validation of phonon propagation changes associated with chain conformational transitions in dense particle brush materials. A scaling relation between interface tangential stiffness and crowding of polymer tethers is derived that provides a guideline for chemists to design brush particle materials with tailored phononic dispersion characteristics. The results emphasize the role of interfaces in composite materials systems. Given the fundamental relevance of phonon dispersion to material properties such as thermal transport or mechanical properties, it is also envisioned that the results will spur the development of novel functional hybrid materials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu Cang
- School of Aerospace Engineering and Applied Mechanics, Tongji University, Zhangwu Road 100, Shanghai, 200092, China
| | - Rebecca Sainidou
- Laboratoire Ondes et Milieux Complexes UMR CNRS 6294, UNIHAVRE, Normandie University, 75 rue Bellot, Le Havre, F-76600, France
| | - Pascal Rembert
- Laboratoire Ondes et Milieux Complexes UMR CNRS 6294, UNIHAVRE, Normandie University, 75 rue Bellot, Le Havre, F-76600, France
| | - Krzysztof Matyjaszewski
- Chemistry Department, Carnegie Mellon University, 4400 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA, 15213, USA
| | - Michael Bockstaller
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University, 5000 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA, 15213, USA
| | - Bartlomiej Graczykowski
- Faculty of Physics, Adam Mickiewicz University, Uniwersytetu Poznanskiego 2, Poznan, 61-614, Poland
| | - George Fytas
- Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research, Ackermannweg 10, 55128, Mainz, Germany
- Institute of Electronic Structure and Laser, FORTH, N. Plastira 100, Heraklion, 70013, Greece
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8
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Chen G. polyGraft 1.0: A program for molecular structure and topology generation of polymer-grafted hybrid nanostructures. J Comput Chem 2023; 44:2230-2239. [PMID: 37596907 DOI: 10.1002/jcc.27206] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2023] [Revised: 07/24/2023] [Accepted: 08/02/2023] [Indexed: 08/21/2023]
Abstract
Polymer-grafted hybrid materials have been ubiquitously employed in various engineering applications. The design of these hybrid materials with superior performances requires a molecularly detailed understanding of the structure and dynamics of the polymer brushes and their interactions with the grafting substrate. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations are very well suited for the study of these materials which can provide molecular insights into the effects of polymer composition and length, grafting density, substrate composition and curvatures, and nanoconfinement. However, few existing tools are available to generate such systems, which would otherwise reduce the barrier of preparation for such systems to enable high throughput simulations. Here polyGraft, a general, flexible, and easy to use Python program, is introduced for automated generation of molecular structure and topology of polymer grafted hybrid materials for MD simulations purposes, ranging from polymer brushes grafted to hard substrates, to densely grafted bottlebrush polymers. polyGraft is openly accessible on GitHub (https://github.com/nanogchen/polyGraft).
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Affiliation(s)
- Guang Chen
- Institute of Materials Science, University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut, USA
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9
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Zhang Y, Tang H, Wang R, Zhang L. Enhancing Crystallization of DNA-Functionalized Nanoparticles by Polymer Chains. Macromolecules 2023. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.macromol.2c02120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/09/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Yixin Zhang
- Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, State Key Laboratory of Coordination Chemistry, Key Laboratory of High Performance Polymer Materials and Technology of Ministry of Education, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing210023, China
| | - Hao Tang
- Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, State Key Laboratory of Coordination Chemistry, Key Laboratory of High Performance Polymer Materials and Technology of Ministry of Education, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing210023, China
| | - Rong Wang
- Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, State Key Laboratory of Coordination Chemistry, Key Laboratory of High Performance Polymer Materials and Technology of Ministry of Education, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing210023, China
| | - Liangshun Zhang
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Advanced Polymeric Materials, School of Materials Science and Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai200237, China
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10
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Oh SM, Kim SY. Intensified Nonequilibrium Effect of Polymer Nanocomposites with Decreasing Nanoparticle Size. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2023; 15:4527-4537. [PMID: 36629148 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.2c20156] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
What are the most important and decisive parameters that determine the structure and the property of polymer nanocomposites (PNCs)? Previous studies answered that controlling the nanoparticle interface is critical, which can be achieved with a choice of a compatible nanoparticle, a proper surface modification, and a change in the polymer chain length. In addition to these parameters, the processing condition of PNCs has recently emerged as an influential parameter for controlling PNC properties, suggesting the existence of the nonequilibrium effect of PNCs. In this regard, we chose the solvent as a main change in the processing condition and investigated the initial solvent-driven nonequilibrium effect of PNCs with varied nanoparticle (NP) sizes. We found that the type of the initial solvent is indeed crucial in determining the ultimate properties of the PNCs, and this becomes more influential as the size of NPs decreases. The decreasing size of NPs causes a conformational change in the adsorbed polymers from tightly packed layers to loosely dangling chains. This results in much greater differences in NP microstructures and rheological properties of PNCs, indicating a stronger nonequilibrium effect with smaller NPs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sol Mi Oh
- School of Energy and Chemical Engineering, Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST), 50 UNIST-gil, Ulsan44919, Republic of Korea
| | - So Youn Kim
- School of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Institute of Chemical Processes, Seoul National University, 1, Gwanak-ro, Gwanak-gu, Seoul08826, Republic of Korea
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11
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Phukan M, Haritha P, Roy TR, Iyer BVS. Mechanical response of networks formed by end-functionalised spherical polymer grafted nanoparticles. SOFT MATTER 2022; 18:8591-8604. [PMID: 36325950 DOI: 10.1039/d2sm01174c] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Via computer simulations we examine the mechanical response of hybrid polymer-particle networks composed of rigid spherical nanoparticles with long flexible polymer chains grafted onto their surface. The canopy of grafted polymer arms are end-functionalised such that interacting polymer-grafted nanoparticles (PGNs) form labile bonds when their coronas overlap. In the present study, the number of grafted arms, f, are such that the PGN brushes are in the small (f = 600) and intermediate curvature (f = 900 and 1200) regime with stable bonded interactions. To investigate the mechanical response of networks formed by these PGNs, controlled uniaxial elongation at a specified pulling rate is imposed on a 2-D network of PGNs placed on a hexagonal lattice. In the simulations, the force required to deform the network is measured as a function of the elongation and pulling rate imposed on the network until the network fails. By analysis of the force-strain curves and the rearrangement of the PGNs in the network we show that an increase in the number of grafted arms, pulling velocity and energy of the bonded interactions alters both the toughness and the mode of failure of the networks. In particular, we show that an increase in the number of grafted arms results in a reduction of toughness. Furthermore, analysis of the simulations of force relaxation after rapid extension indicates that the relaxation in deformed networks can be characterised by one or two time scales that depend on the number of grafted arms. The analysis of force-strain curves and force relaxation demonstrate the role of Deborah number, De, and the limitations in the use of a unique De in understanding the mechanical response of the networks respectively.
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Affiliation(s)
- Monmee Phukan
- Department of Chemical Engineering, IIT Hyderabad, Hyderabad, India.
| | - Pindi Haritha
- Department of Chemical Engineering, IIT Hyderabad, Hyderabad, India.
| | - Talem Rebeda Roy
- Department of Chemical Engineering, IIT Hyderabad, Hyderabad, India.
| | - Balaji V S Iyer
- Department of Chemical Engineering, IIT Hyderabad, Hyderabad, India.
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12
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Zhang Y, Tang H, Wang R. Controlling the two components modified on nanoparticles to construct nanomaterials. SOFT MATTER 2022; 18:8213-8222. [PMID: 36285648 DOI: 10.1039/d2sm00877g] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Nanoparticle self-assembly technology has made great progress in the past 30 years. Many kinds of self-assembly strategies of modifiable nanoparticles have been developed and used to construct nano-aggregates by designing the shape, size and type of nanoparticles and controlling the components modified on nanoparticles. These strategies are widely used in many fields, such as medical diagnosis, biological detection, drug delivery, materials synthesis and sensors. The modified components can be DNA chains, polymer chains, proteins, and even organic molecules based on different molecular conformations and chemical properties. In recent years, the self-assembly of two-component modified nanoparticles has gradually attracted more attention. Nanoparticles modified with two components of different DNA strands can self-assemble to produce a variety of nano arrangement structures, such as BCC, FCC and other cubic crystals, which can be used in crystal materials. Two-component modification of hydrophilic and hydrophobic polymers can produce vesicular aggregates, which can be used for drug delivery. In this review, we summarize the latest experimental progress and theoretical simulation of self-assembly of two-component modified nanoparticles including different DNA chains, different polymer chains, DNA and polymer chains, proteins and polymer chains, and different organic molecules. Their self-assembly characteristics and application prospects were discussed. Compared with single-component modified nanoparticles, two-component nanoparticles have different tethered molecules or molecular chains, which can be multifunctional by regulating different modified components and types of nanoparticles and ultimately expand the scope of applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yixin Zhang
- Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, State Key Laboratory of Coordination Chemistry, Key Laboratory of High Performance Polymer Materials and Technology of Ministry of Education, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210023, China.
| | - Hao Tang
- Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, State Key Laboratory of Coordination Chemistry, Key Laboratory of High Performance Polymer Materials and Technology of Ministry of Education, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210023, China.
| | - Rong Wang
- Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, State Key Laboratory of Coordination Chemistry, Key Laboratory of High Performance Polymer Materials and Technology of Ministry of Education, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210023, China.
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13
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Zhao Y, Wang Z, Yu C, Wu H, Olszewski M, Yin R, Zhai Y, Liu T, Coronado A, Matyjaszewski K, Bockstaller MR. Topologically Induced Heterogeneity in Gradient Copolymer Brush Particle Materials. Macromolecules 2022. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.macromol.2c01131] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Yuqi Zhao
- Department of Materials Science & Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University, 5000 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213, United States
| | - Zongyu Wang
- Department of Chemistry, Carnegie Mellon University, 4400 Fifth Avenue, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213, United States
| | - Chenxi Yu
- Department of Materials Science & Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University, 5000 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213, United States
| | - Hanshu Wu
- Department of Materials Science & Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University, 5000 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213, United States
| | - Mateusz Olszewski
- Department of Chemistry, Carnegie Mellon University, 4400 Fifth Avenue, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213, United States
| | - Rongguan Yin
- Department of Chemistry, Carnegie Mellon University, 4400 Fifth Avenue, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213, United States
| | - Yue Zhai
- Department of Materials Science & Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University, 5000 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213, United States
| | - Tong Liu
- Department of Chemistry, Carnegie Mellon University, 4400 Fifth Avenue, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213, United States
| | - Amy Coronado
- Department of Materials Science & Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University, 5000 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213, United States
| | - Krzysztof Matyjaszewski
- Department of Chemistry, Carnegie Mellon University, 4400 Fifth Avenue, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213, United States
| | - Michael R. Bockstaller
- Department of Materials Science & Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University, 5000 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213, United States
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14
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Shape Transformations and Self-Assembly of Hairy Particles under Confinement. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms23147919. [PMID: 35887260 PMCID: PMC9319024 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23147919] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2022] [Revised: 07/14/2022] [Accepted: 07/16/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Molecular dynamics simulations are used to investigate the behavior of polymer-tethered nanoparticles between two inert or attractive walls. The confinement in pores creates new possibilities for controlling the shape transformation of individual hairy particles and their self-organization. We introduce a minimalistic model of the system; only chain-wall interactions are assumed to be attractive, while the others are softly repulsive. We show how the shape of isolated particles can be controlled by changing the wall separation and the strength of the interaction with the surfaces. For attractive walls, we found two types of structures, “bridges” and “mounds”. The first structures are similar to flanged spools in which the chains are connected with both walls and form bridges between them. We observed various bridges, symmetrical and asymmetrical spools, hourglasses, and pillars. The bridge-like structures can be “nano-oscillators” in which the cores jump from one wall to the other. We also study the self-assembly of a dense fluid of hairy particles in slit-like pores and analyze how the system morphology depends on interactions with the surfaces and the wall separation. The hairy particles form layers parallel to the walls. Different ordered structures, resembling two-dimensional crystalline lattices, are reported. We demonstrate that hairy particles are a versatile soft component forming a variety of structures in the slits.
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15
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Behavior of colloidal gels made of thermoresponsive anisotropic nanoparticles. Sci Rep 2022; 12:12157. [PMID: 35840648 PMCID: PMC9287383 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-16414-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2022] [Accepted: 07/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Amongst colloidal gels, those designed by the assembly of anisotropic colloidal particles tend to form fibrillar gels and are attracting interest as artificial cell growth environments since they have a structure reminiscent of biological extracellular matrices. Their properties can be tuned by controlling the size, shape, and rigidity of the nanoparticles used during their formation. Herein, the relationship between the physical and mechanical properties of the nanocolloidal building blocks and the properties of the resulting gels is investigated. Thermoresponsive particles with different aspect ratios and controlled rigidity were prepared, and the gelation and the properties of the resulting gels were studied. The results show how the aspect ratio and rigidity of polymer colloids tune the properties of the gels. An increase in the aspect ratio of the nanocolloid used led to a sol–gel transition observed at lower particle concentration, but an increase in the rigidity of the nanocolloids delayed the sol–gel transition to higher concentration. However, at a constant concentration, increases in the anisotropy produced gels with higher modulus and lower yield strain. Similarly, an increase in rigidity of the colloids increased the modulus and reduced the yield strain of the resulting gels.
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16
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Alkhodairi H, Kumar SK. Fracture Toughness of Polymer Interfaces Compatibilized with Nanoparticle Brushes. Macromolecules 2022. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.macromol.2c00640] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Husam Alkhodairi
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Columbia University, New York, New York 10027, United States
| | - Sanat K. Kumar
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Columbia University, New York, New York 10027, United States
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17
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Jhalaria M, Cang Y, Huang Y, Benicewicz B, Kumar SK, Fytas G. Unusual High-Frequency Mechanical Properties of Polymer-Grafted Nanoparticle Melts. PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 2022; 128:187801. [PMID: 35594089 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.128.187801] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2021] [Revised: 03/20/2022] [Accepted: 03/31/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Brillouin light spectroscopy is used to measure the elastic moduli of spherical polymer-grafted nanoparticle (GNP) melts as a function of chain length at fixed grafting density (0.47 chains/nm^{2}) and nanoparticle radius (8 nm). While the moduli follow a rule of mixtures (Wood's law) for long chains, they display enhanced elasticity and anomalous dissipation for graft chains <100 kDa. GNP melts with long polymers at high σ have a dry zone near the GNP core, surrounded by a region where the grafts can interpenetrate with chain fragments from adjacent GNPs. We propose that the departures from Wood's law for short chains are due to the effectively larger silica volume fraction in the region where sound propagates-this is caused by the short, interpenetrated chain fragments being pushed out of the way. We thus conclude that transport mechanisms (of gas, ions, sound, thermal phonons) in GNP melts are radically different if interpenetrated chain segments can be "pushed out of the way" or not. This provides a facile new means for manipulating the properties of these materials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mayank Jhalaria
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Columbia University, New York 10027, New York, USA
| | - Yu Cang
- School of Aerospace Engineering and Applied Mechanics, Tongji University, 100 Zhangwu Road, Shanghai 200092, China
| | - Yucheng Huang
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of South Carolina, Columbia 29201, South Carolina, USA
| | - Brian Benicewicz
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of South Carolina, Columbia 29201, South Carolina, USA
| | - Sanat K Kumar
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Columbia University, New York 10027, New York, USA
| | - George Fytas
- Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research, Ackermannweg 10, 55128 Mainz, Germany
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18
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Kim PY, Gao Y, Fink Z, Ribbe AE, Hoagland DA, Russell TP. Dynamic Reconfiguration of Compressed 2D Nanoparticle Monolayers. ACS NANO 2022; 16:5496-5506. [PMID: 35324158 DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.1c09853] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
A Gibbs monolayer of jammed, or nearly jammed, spherical nanoparticles was imaged at a liquid surface in real time by in-situ scanning electron microscopy performed at the single-particle level. At nanoparticle areal fractions above that for the onset of two-dimensional crystallization, structural reorganizations of the mobile polymer-coated particles were visualized after a stepwise areal compression. When the compression was small, slow shearing near dislocations and reconfigured nanoparticle bonding were observed at crystal grain boundaries. At larger scales, domains grew as they rotated into registry by correlated but highly intermittent motions. Simultaneously, the areal density in the middle of the monolayer increased. When the compression was large, the jammed monolayers exhibited out-of-plane deformations such as wrinkles and bumps. Due to their large interfacial binding energy, few (if any) of the two-dimensionally mobile nanoparticles returned to the liquid subphase. Compressed long enough (several hours or more), monolayers transformed into solid nanoparticle films, as evidenced by their cracking and localized rupturing upon subsequent areal expansion. These observations provide mechanistic insights into the dynamics of a simple model system that undergoes jamming/unjamming in response to mechanical stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul Y Kim
- Materials Sciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
| | - Yige Gao
- Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, Massachusetts 01003, United States
| | - Zachary Fink
- Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, Massachusetts 01003, United States
| | - Alexander E Ribbe
- Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, Massachusetts 01003, United States
| | - David A Hoagland
- Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, Massachusetts 01003, United States
| | - Thomas P Russell
- Materials Sciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
- Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, Massachusetts 01003, United States
- Advanced Institute for Materials Research (WPI-AIMR), Tohoku University, 2-1-1 Katahira, Aoba, Sendai 980-8577, Japan
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19
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Staszewski T, Borówko M, Boguta P. Adsorption of Polymer-Tethered Particles on Solid Surfaces. J Phys Chem B 2022; 126:1341-1351. [PMID: 35113566 PMCID: PMC8859823 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.1c10418] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2021] [Revised: 01/20/2022] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
We explore the behavior of polymer-tethered particles on solid surfaces using coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulations. Segment-segment, segment-core, and core-core interactions are assumed to be purely repulsive, while the segment-substrate interactions are attractive. We analyze changes in the internal structure of single hairy particles on the surfaces with the increasing strength of the segment-substrate interactions. For this purpose, we calculate the density profiles along the x, y, z axes and the mass dipole moments. The adsorbed hairy particles are found to be symmetrical in a plane parallel to the substrate but strongly asymmetric in the vertical direction. On stronger adsorbents, the particle canopies become flattened and the cores lie closer to the wall. We consider the adsorption of hairy nanoparticles dispersed in systems of different initial particle densities. We show how the strength of segment-substrate interactions affects the structure of the adsorbed phase, the particle-wall potential of the average force, the excess adsorption isotherms, and the real adsorption isotherms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tomasz Staszewski
- Department
of Theoretical Chemistry, Institute of Chemical Sciences, Faculty
of Chemistry, Maria Curie-Skłodowska
University in Lublin, 20-031 Lublin, Poland
| | - Małgorzata Borówko
- Department
of Theoretical Chemistry, Institute of Chemical Sciences, Faculty
of Chemistry, Maria Curie-Skłodowska
University in Lublin, 20-031 Lublin, Poland
| | - Patrycja Boguta
- Institute
of Agrophysics, Polish Academy of Sciences, Doświadczalna 4, 20-290 Lublin, Poland
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20
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Zhu Z, Tsai CY, Zhao M, Baker J, Sue HJ. PMMA Nanocomposites Based on PMMA-Grafted α-Zirconium Phosphate Nanoplatelets. Macromolecules 2022. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.macromol.1c02337] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Zewen Zhu
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843-3003, United States
| | - Chia-Ying Tsai
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843-3003, United States
| | - Mingzhen Zhao
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843-3003, United States
| | - Joseph Baker
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843-3003, United States
| | - Hung-Jue Sue
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843-3003, United States
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21
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Izor S, Schantz A, Jawaid A, Grabowski C, Dagher T, Koerner H, Park K, Vaia R. Coexistence and Phase Behavior of Solvent–Polystyrene-Grafted Gold Nanoparticle Systems. Macromolecules 2021. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.macromol.1c01714] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Sarah Izor
- Materials and Manufacturing Directorate, Air Force Research Laboratory, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio 45433-7702, United States
- UES, Inc., Dayton, Ohio 45432, United States
| | - Allen Schantz
- Materials and Manufacturing Directorate, Air Force Research Laboratory, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio 45433-7702, United States
| | - Ali Jawaid
- Materials and Manufacturing Directorate, Air Force Research Laboratory, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio 45433-7702, United States
- UES, Inc., Dayton, Ohio 45432, United States
| | - Chris Grabowski
- Materials and Manufacturing Directorate, Air Force Research Laboratory, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio 45433-7702, United States
| | - Tony Dagher
- Materials and Manufacturing Directorate, Air Force Research Laboratory, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio 45433-7702, United States
| | - Hilmar Koerner
- Materials and Manufacturing Directorate, Air Force Research Laboratory, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio 45433-7702, United States
| | - Kyoungweon Park
- Materials and Manufacturing Directorate, Air Force Research Laboratory, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio 45433-7702, United States
- UES, Inc., Dayton, Ohio 45432, United States
| | - Richard Vaia
- Materials and Manufacturing Directorate, Air Force Research Laboratory, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio 45433-7702, United States
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22
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Adhikari S, Nikoubashman A, Leibler L, Rubinstein M, Midya J, Kumar SK. Gas Transport in Interacting Planar Brushes. ACS POLYMERS AU 2021; 1:39-46. [PMID: 35253005 DOI: 10.1021/acspolymersau.1c00006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
Recent experiments on melts of spherical nanoparticles (NPs) densely grafted with polymer chains show enhanced gas transport relative to the neat polymer (without NPs). As a means of understanding this unexpected behavior, we consider here the simpler case of two interacting planar brushes, under conditions representing a polymer melt far below its critical point (i.e., where the "free volume" or holes act akin to a poor solvent). Computer simulations illustrate, in agreement with mean-field ideas, that the density profile far away from the walls is flat but with a value that is marginally larger than the corresponding polymer melt under identical state conditions. We find that tracer particles, which represent the gas of interest, segregate preferentially to the grafting surface, with this result being relatively insensitive to the nature of polymer-surface interactions. These brush layers therefore correspond to heterogeneous transport media: the gas molecules near the grafting surface have accelerated dynamics (presumably parallel to the wall) relative to the corresponding polymer melt, but they have slower dynamics in the central region of the brush. We therefore find that gas molecules perform hop-like motions - they spend a significant part of their time in the regions of fast transport, separated by motions where they "hop" from one surface to the other. These phenomena in combination lead to an overall speedup in gas dynamics in these brush layers relative to a polymer melt, in good agreement with the experimental data.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sabin Adhikari
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA
| | - Arash Nikoubashman
- Institute of Physics, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Staudingerweg 7, 55128 Mainz, Germany
| | - Ludwik Leibler
- UMR Gulliver 7083 CNRS, ESPCI Paris, PSL Research University, 10 rue Vauquelin, 75005 Paris, France
| | - Michael Rubinstein
- Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science, Biomedical Engineering, Chemistry, and Physics, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708-0300, USA
| | - Jiarul Midya
- Institute of Physics, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Staudingerweg 7, 55128 Mainz, Germany
| | - Sanat K Kumar
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA
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23
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Gun'ko VM. Polymer Adsorbents vs. Functionalized Oxides and Carbons: Particulate Morphology and Textural and SurfaceCharacteristics. Polymers (Basel) 2021; 13:1249. [PMID: 33921494 PMCID: PMC8069040 DOI: 10.3390/polym13081249] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2021] [Revised: 04/08/2021] [Accepted: 04/09/2021] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Various methods for morphological, textural, and structural characterization of polymeric, carbon, and oxide adsorbents have been developed and well described. However, there are ways to improve the quantitative information extraction from experimental data for describing complex sorbents and polymer fillers. This could be based not only on probe adsorption and electron microscopies (TEM, SEM) but also on small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), cryoporometry, relaxometry, thermoporometry, quasi-elastic light scattering, Raman and infrared spectroscopies, and other methods. To effectively extract information on complex materials, it is important to use appropriate methods to treat the data with adequate physicomathematical models that accurately describe the dependences of these data on pressure, concentration, temperature, and other parameters, and effective computational programs. It is shown that maximum accurate characterization of complex materials is possible if several complemented methods are used in parallel, e.g., adsorption and SAXS with self-consistent regularization procedures (giving pore size (PSD), pore wall thickness (PWTD) or chord length (CLD), and particle size (PaSD) distribution functions, the specific surface area of open and closed pores, etc.), TEM/SEM images with quantitative treatments (giving the PaSD, PSD, and PWTD functions), as well as cryo- and thermoporometry, relaxometry, X-ray diffraction, infrared and Raman spectroscopies (giving information on the behavior of the materials under different conditions).
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Affiliation(s)
- Volodymyr M Gun'ko
- Chuiko Institute of Surface Chemistry, 17 General Naumov Street, 03164 Kyiv, Ukraine
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24
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Hyon J, Gonzales M, Streit JK, Fried O, Lawal O, Jiao Y, Drummy LF, Thomas EL, Vaia RA. Projectile Impact Shock-Induced Deformation of One-Component Polymer Nanocomposite Thin Films. ACS NANO 2021; 15:2439-2446. [PMID: 33503365 DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.0c06146] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Matrix-free assemblies of polymer-grafted nanoparticles (PGNs) enable mechanically robust materials for a variety of structural, electronic, and optical applications. Recent quasi-static mechanical studies have identified the key parameters that enhance canopy entanglement and promote plasticity of the PGNs below Tg. Here we experimentally explore the high-strain-rate shock impact behavior of polystyrene grafted NPs and compare their energy absorption capabilities to that of homopolystyrene for film thicknesses ranging from 75 to 550 nm and for impact velocities from 350 to 800 m/s. Modeling reveals that the initial shock compression results in a rapid temperature increase at the impact site. The uniformity of this heating is consistent with observations of greater kinetic energy absorption per mass (Ep*) of thinner films due to extensive visco-plastic deformation of molten film around the penetration site. Adiabatic heating is insufficient to raise the temperature at the exit surface of the thickest films resulting in increased strain localization at the impact periphery with less melt elongation. The extent and distribution of entanglements also influence Ep*. Structurally, each NP acts as a giant cross-link node, coupling surrounding nodes via the number of canopy chains per NP and the nature and number of entanglements between canopies anchored to different NPs. Load sharing via this dual network, along with geometrical factors such as film thickness, lead to extreme Ep* arising from the sequence of instantaneous adiabatic shock heating followed by visco-plastic drawing of the film by the projectile. These observations elucidate the critical factors necessary to create robust polymer-nanocomposite multifunctional films.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jinho Hyon
- Department of Materials Science & NanoEngineering, Rice University, Houston, Texas 77005, United States
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77840, United States
| | - Manny Gonzales
- Materials and Manufacturing Directorate, Air Force Research Laboratory, Wright Patterson Air Force Base, Dayton, Ohio 45433-7750, United States
| | - Jason K Streit
- Materials and Manufacturing Directorate, Air Force Research Laboratory, Wright Patterson Air Force Base, Dayton, Ohio 45433-7750, United States
| | - Omri Fried
- Department of Materials Science & NanoEngineering, Rice University, Houston, Texas 77005, United States
| | - Olawale Lawal
- Department of Materials Science & NanoEngineering, Rice University, Houston, Texas 77005, United States
- United States Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, Colorado 80840, United States
| | - Yang Jiao
- Materials and Manufacturing Directorate, Air Force Research Laboratory, Wright Patterson Air Force Base, Dayton, Ohio 45433-7750, United States
| | - Lawrence F Drummy
- Materials and Manufacturing Directorate, Air Force Research Laboratory, Wright Patterson Air Force Base, Dayton, Ohio 45433-7750, United States
| | - Edwin L Thomas
- Department of Materials Science & NanoEngineering, Rice University, Houston, Texas 77005, United States
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77840, United States
| | - Richard A Vaia
- Materials and Manufacturing Directorate, Air Force Research Laboratory, Wright Patterson Air Force Base, Dayton, Ohio 45433-7750, United States
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25
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You W, Cui W, Yu W. Decoupling hydrodynamic and entanglement effects on the modulus reinforcement of grafted silica filled nanocomposites through Thermal and rheological features. POLYMER 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.polymer.2020.123323] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
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26
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Midya J, Rubinstein M, Kumar SK, Nikoubashman A. Structure of Polymer-Grafted Nanoparticle Melts. ACS NANO 2020; 14:15505-15516. [PMID: 33084300 PMCID: PMC8056455 DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.0c06134] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
The structure of neat melts of polymer-grafted nanoparticles (GNPs) is studied via coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulations. We systematically vary the degree of polymerization and grafting density at fixed nanoparticle (NP) radius and study in detail the shape and size of the GNP coronas. For sufficiently high grafting density, chain sections close to the NP core are extended and form a dry layer. Further away from the NP, there is an interpenetration layer, where the polymer coronas of neighboring GNPs overlap and the chain sections have almost unperturbed conformations. To better understand this partitioning, we develop a two-layer model, representing the grafted polymer around an NP by spherical dry and interpenetration layers. This model quantitatively predicts that the thicknesses of the two layers depend on one universal parameter, x, the degree of overcrowding of grafted chains relative to chains in the melt. Both simulations and theory show that the chain extension free energy is nonmonotonic with increasing chain length at a fixed grafting density, with a well-defined maximum. This maximum is indicative of the crossover from the dry layer-dominated to interpenetration layer-dominated regime, and it could have profound consequences on our understanding of a variety of anomalous transport properties of these GNPs. Our theoretical approach therefore provides a facile means for understanding and designing solvent-free GNP-based materials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiarul Midya
- Institute of Physics, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Staudingerweg 7, 55128 Mainz, Germany
| | - Michael Rubinstein
- Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science, Biomedical Engineering, Chemistry, and Physics, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708-0300, USA
| | - Sanat K. Kumar
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Columbia University, New York, New York 10027, USA
| | - Arash Nikoubashman
- Institute of Physics, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Staudingerweg 7, 55128 Mainz, Germany
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27
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Kim YG, Wichaita W, Thérien-Aubin H. Influence of the Architecture of Soft Polymer-Functionalized Polymer Nanoparticles on Their Dynamics in Suspension. Polymers (Basel) 2020; 12:E1844. [PMID: 32824574 PMCID: PMC7465671 DOI: 10.3390/polym12081844] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2020] [Revised: 08/13/2020] [Accepted: 08/14/2020] [Indexed: 01/16/2023] Open
Abstract
The behavior of nanogels in suspension can be dramatically affected by the grafting of a canopy of end-tethered polymer chains. The architecture of the interfacial layer, defined by the grafting density and length of the polymer chains, is a crucial parameter in defining the conformation and influencing the dynamics of the grafted chains. However, the influence of this architecture when the core substrate is itself soft and mobile is complex; the dynamics of the core influences the dynamics of the tethered chains, and, conversely, the dynamics of the tethered chains can influence the dynamics of the core. Here, poly(styrene) (PS) particles were functionalized with poly(methyl acrylate) (PMA) chains and swollen in a common solvent. NMR relaxation reveals that the confinement influences the mobility of the grafted chain more prominently for densely grafted short chains. The correlation time associated with the relaxation of the PMA increased by more than 20% when the grafting density increased for short chains, but for less than 10% for long chains. This phenomenon is likely due to the steric hindrance created by the close proximity to the rigid core and of the neighboring chains. More interestingly, a thick layer of a densely grafted PMA canopy efficiently increases the local mobility of the PS cores, with a reduction of the correlation time of more than 30%. These results suggest an interplay between the dynamics of the core and the dynamics of the canopy.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Héloïse Thérien-Aubin
- Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research, Ackermannweg 10, 55131 Mainz, Germany; (Y.-G.K.); (W.W.)
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28
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Lee J, Wang Z, Zhang J, Yan J, Deng T, Zhao Y, Matyjaszewski K, Bockstaller MR. Molecular Parameters Governing the Elastic Properties of Brush Particle Films. Macromolecules 2020. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.macromol.9b01809] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Jaejun Lee
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University, 5000 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213, United States
| | - Zongyu Wang
- Department of Chemistry, Carnegie Mellon University, 4400 Fifth Avenue, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213, United States
| | - Jianan Zhang
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University, 5000 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213, United States
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Anhui University, Hefei 230601, China
| | - Jiajun Yan
- Department of Chemistry, Carnegie Mellon University, 4400 Fifth Avenue, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213, United States
| | - Tingwei Deng
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University, 5000 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213, United States
| | - Yuqi Zhao
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University, 5000 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213, United States
| | - Krzysztof Matyjaszewski
- Department of Chemistry, Carnegie Mellon University, 4400 Fifth Avenue, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213, United States
| | - Michael R. Bockstaller
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University, 5000 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213, United States
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29
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Wichaita W, Kim YG, Tangboriboonrat P, Thérien-Aubin H. Polymer-functionalized polymer nanoparticles and their behaviour in suspensions. Polym Chem 2020. [DOI: 10.1039/c9py01558b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
In concentrated suspensions of polymer-functionalized nanoparticles, the softness of the core nanoparticles has a crucial effect on the mechanical behaviour of the resulting colloidal gels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Waraporn Wichaita
- Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research
- Mainz
- Germany
- Department of Chemistry
- Faculty of Science
| | - Young-Gon Kim
- Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research
- Mainz
- Germany
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30
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Ethier JG, Drummy LF, Vaia RA, Hall LM. Uniaxial Deformation and Crazing in Glassy Polymer-Grafted Nanoparticle Ultrathin Films. ACS NANO 2019; 13:12816-12829. [PMID: 31609111 DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.9b05001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
The deformation behavior of neat, glassy polymer-grafted nanoparticle (PGN) monolayer films is studied using coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulations and experiments on polystyrene-grafted silica. In both the simulations and experiments, apparent crazing behavior is observed during deformation. The PGN systems show a relatively more uniform, perforated sheet craze structure and significantly higher strain at break than reference homopolymers of the same length. Short chain, unentangled PGN monolayers are also simulated for comparison; these are brittle and break apart without crazing. The entangled PGN simulations are analyzed in detail for systems at both high and moderate graft density. Stress-strain curves show three distinct regions: yielding and strain localization, craze widening, and strain hardening preceding catastrophic failure. The PGN stress-strain behavior appears more similar to that of longer chain, highly entangled homopolymer films than to the reference homopolymer films of the same length as the graft chains, suggesting that the particles effectively add additional entanglement points. The moderate graft density particles have higher strain-to-failure and maximum stress than the high graft density particles. We suggest this increased robustness for lower graft density systems is due to their increased interpenetration of graft chains between neighboring particles, which leads to increased interparticle entanglements per chain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeffrey G Ethier
- William G. Lowrie Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering , The Ohio State University , Columbus , Ohio 43210 , United States
| | - Lawrence F Drummy
- Materials and Manufacturing Directorate , Air Force Research Laboratories , WPAFB , Ohio 45433 , United States
| | - Richard A Vaia
- Materials and Manufacturing Directorate , Air Force Research Laboratories , WPAFB , Ohio 45433 , United States
| | - Lisa M Hall
- William G. Lowrie Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering , The Ohio State University , Columbus , Ohio 43210 , United States
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Midya J, Cang Y, Egorov SA, Matyjaszewski K, Bockstaller MR, Nikoubashman A, Fytas G. Disentangling the Role of Chain Conformation on the Mechanics of Polymer Tethered Particle Materials. NANO LETTERS 2019; 19:2715-2722. [PMID: 30913883 PMCID: PMC6463242 DOI: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.9b00817] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2019] [Revised: 03/18/2019] [Indexed: 05/22/2023]
Abstract
The linear elastic properties of isotropic materials of polymer tethered nanoparticles (NPs) are evaluated using noncontact Brillouin light spectroscopy. While the mechanical properties of dense brush materials follow predicted trends with NP composition, a surprising increase in elastic moduli is observed in the case of sparsely grafted particle systems at approximately equal NP filling ratio. Complementary molecular dynamics simulations reveal that the stiffening is caused by the coil-like conformations of the grafted chains, which lead to stronger polymer-polymer interactions compared to densely grafted NPs with short chains. Our results point to novel opportunities to enhance the physical properties of composite materials by the strategic design of the "molecular architecture" of constituents to benefit from synergistic effects relating to the organization of the polymer component.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiarul Midya
- Institute
of Physics, Johannes Gutenberg University
Mainz, Staudingerweg 7, 55128 Mainz, Germany
| | - Yu Cang
- Max
Planck Institute for Polymer Research, Ackermannweg 10, 55128, Mainz, Germany
| | - Sergei A. Egorov
- Department
of Chemistry, University of Virginia, McCormick Road, Charlottesville, Virginia 22904-4319, United States
| | - Krzysztof Matyjaszewski
- Chemistry
Department, Carnegie Mellon University, 4400 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213, United States
| | - Michael R. Bockstaller
- Department
of Materials Science and Engineering, Carnegie
Mellon University, 5000 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213, United States
| | - Arash Nikoubashman
- Institute
of Physics, Johannes Gutenberg University
Mainz, Staudingerweg 7, 55128 Mainz, Germany
| | - George Fytas
- Max
Planck Institute for Polymer Research, Ackermannweg 10, 55128, Mainz, Germany
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Abstract
Grafting polymers to nanoparticle surfaces influences properties from the conformation of the polymer chains to the dispersion and assembly of nanoparticles within a polymeric material. Recently, a small body of work has begun to address the question of how grafting polymers to a nanoparticle surface impacts chain dynamics, and the resulting physical properties of a material. This Review discusses recent work that characterizes the structure and dynamics of polymers that are grafted to nanoparticles and opportunities for future research. Starting from the case of a single polymer chain attached to a nanoparticle core, this Review follows the structure of the chains as grafting density increases, and how this structure slows relaxation of polymer chains and affects macroscopic material properties.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael J A Hore
- Department of Macromolecular Science & Engineering, Case Western Reserve University, 10900 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, USA.
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