1
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Quah T, Delaney KT, Fredrickson GH. Assessment of the partial saddle point approximation in field-theoretic polymer simulations. J Chem Phys 2023; 159:164103. [PMID: 37873956 DOI: 10.1063/5.0173047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2023] [Accepted: 10/06/2023] [Indexed: 10/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Field-theoretic simulations are numerical treatments of polymer field theory models that go beyond the mean-field self-consistent field theory level and have successfully captured a range of mesoscopic phenomena. Inherent in molecularly-based field theories is a "sign problem" associated with complex-valued Hamiltonian functionals. One route to field-theoretic simulations utilizes the complex Langevin (CL) method to importance sample complex-valued field configurations to bypass the sign problem. Although CL is exact in principle, it can be difficult to stabilize in strongly fluctuating systems. An alternate approach for blends or block copolymers with two segment species is to make a "partial saddle point approximation" (PSPA) in which the stiff pressure-like field is constrained to its mean-field value, eliminating the sign problem in the remaining field theory, allowing for traditional (real) sampling methods. The consequences of the PSPA are relatively unknown, and direct comparisons between the two methods are limited. Here, we quantitatively compare thermodynamic observables, order-disorder transitions, and periodic domain sizes predicted by the two approaches for a weakly compressible model of AB diblock copolymers. Using Gaussian fluctuation analysis, we validate our simulation observations, finding that the PSPA incorrectly captures trends in fluctuation corrections to certain thermodynamic observables, microdomain spacing, and location of order-disorder transitions. For incompressible models with contact interactions, we find similar discrepancies between the predictions of CL and PSPA, but these can be minimized by regularization procedures such as Morse calibration. These findings mandate caution in applying the PSPA to broader classes of soft-matter models and systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Timothy Quah
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of California, Santa Barbara, California 93106, USA
| | - Kris T Delaney
- Materials Research Laboratory, University of California, Santa Barbara, California 93106, USA
| | - Glenn H Fredrickson
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of California, Santa Barbara, California 93106, USA
- Materials Research Laboratory, University of California, Santa Barbara, California 93106, USA
- Materials Department, University of California, Santa Barbara, California 93106, USA
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2
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Shen K, Nguyen M, Sherck N, Yoo B, Köhler S, Speros J, Delaney KT, Shell MS, Fredrickson GH. Predicting surfactant phase behavior with a molecularly informed field theory. J Colloid Interface Sci 2023; 638:84-98. [PMID: 36736121 DOI: 10.1016/j.jcis.2023.01.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2022] [Revised: 12/24/2022] [Accepted: 01/03/2023] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
HYPOTHESIS The computational study of surfactants and self-assembly is challenging because 1) models need to reflect chemistry-specific interactions, and 2) self-assembled structures are difficult to equilibrate with conventional molecular dynamics. We propose to overcome these challenges with a multiscale simulation approach where relative entropy minimization transfers chemically-detailed information from all-atom (AA) simulations to coarse-grained (CG) models that can be simulated using field-theoretic methods. Field-theoretic simulations are not limited by intrinsic physical time scales like diffusion and allow for rigorous equilibration via free energy minimization. This approach should enable the study of properties that are difficult to obtain by particle-based simulations. SIMULATION WORK We apply this workflow to sodium dodecylsulfate. To ensure chemical fidelity we present an AA force field calibrated against interfacial tension experiments. We generate CG models from AA simulation trajectories and show that particle-based and field-theoretic simulations of the CG model reproduce AA simulations and experimental measurements. FINDINGS The workflow captures the complex balance of interactions in a multicomponent system ultimately described by an atomistic model. The resulting CG models can study complex 3D phases like double or alternating gyroids, and reproduce salt effects on properties like aggregation number and shape transitions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kevin Shen
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara 93106, CA, United States; Materials Research Laboratory, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara 93106, CA, United States.
| | - My Nguyen
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara 93106, CA, United States
| | - Nicholas Sherck
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara 93106, CA, United States
| | - Brian Yoo
- BASF Corporation, Tarrytown 10591, NY, United States
| | | | - Joshua Speros
- California Research Alliance (CARA) by BASF, Berkeley 94720, CA, United States
| | - Kris T Delaney
- Materials Research Laboratory, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara 93106, CA, United States
| | - M Scott Shell
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara 93106, CA, United States.
| | - Glenn H Fredrickson
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara 93106, CA, United States; Materials Research Laboratory, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara 93106, CA, United States; Department of Materials Engineering, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara 93106, CA, United States.
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3
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Beckinghausen M, Spakowitz AJ. Interplay of Polymer Structure, Solvent Ordering, and Charge Fluctuations in Polyelectrolyte Solution Thermodynamics. Macromolecules 2022. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.macromol.2c01826] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Michael Beckinghausen
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, California94305, United States
| | - Andrew J. Spakowitz
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, California94305, United States
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, California94305, United States
- Department of Applied Physics, Stanford University, Stanford, California94305, United States
- Biophysics Program, Stanford University, Stanford, California94305, United States
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4
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Le ML, Grzetic DJ, Delaney KT, Yang KC, Xie S, Fredrickson GH, Chabinyc ML, Segalman RA. Electrostatic Interactions Control the Nanostructure of Conjugated Polyelectrolyte–Polymeric Ionic Liquid Blends. Macromolecules 2022. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.macromol.2c01142] [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)
- My Linh Le
- Materials Department, University of California, Santa Barbara, California 93106, United States
| | - Douglas J. Grzetic
- Chemical Engineering Department, University of California, Santa Barbara, California 93106, United States
| | - Kris T. Delaney
- Chemical Engineering Department, University of California, Santa Barbara, California 93106, United States
| | - Kai-Chieh Yang
- Chemical Engineering Department, University of California, Santa Barbara, California 93106, United States
| | - Shuyi Xie
- Chemical Engineering Department, University of California, Santa Barbara, California 93106, United States
| | - Glenn H. Fredrickson
- Materials Department, University of California, Santa Barbara, California 93106, United States
- Chemical Engineering Department, University of California, Santa Barbara, California 93106, United States
| | - Michael L. Chabinyc
- Materials Department, University of California, Santa Barbara, California 93106, United States
| | - Rachel A. Segalman
- Materials Department, University of California, Santa Barbara, California 93106, United States
- Chemical Engineering Department, University of California, Santa Barbara, California 93106, United States
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5
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Abstract
There is notable discrepancy between experiments and coarse-grained model studies regarding the thermodynamic driving force in polyelectrolyte complex coacervation: experiments find the free energy change to be dominated by entropy, while simulations using coarse-grained models with implicit solvent usually report a large, even dominant energetic contribution in systems with weak to intermediate electrostatic strength. Here, using coarse-grained, implicit-solvent molecular dynamics simulation combined with thermodynamic analysis, we study the potential of mean force (PMF) in the two key stages on the coacervation pathway for symmetric polyelectrolyte mixtures: polycation-polyanion complexation and polyion pair-pair condensation. We show that the temperature dependence in the dielectric constant of water gives rise to a substantial entropic contribution in the electrostatic interaction. By accounting for this electrostatic entropy, which is due to solvent reorganization, we find that under common conditions (monovalent ions, room temperature) for aqueous systems, both stages are strongly entropy-driven with negligible or even unfavorable energetic contributions, consistent with experimental results. Furthermore, for weak to intermediate electrostatic strengths, this electrostatic entropy, rather than the counterion-release entropy, is the primary entropy contribution. From the calculated PMF, we find that the supernatant phase consists predominantly of polyion pairs with vanishingly small concentration of bare polyelectrolytes, and we provide an estimate of the spinodal of the supernatant phase. Finally, we show that prior to contact, two neutral polyion pairs weakly attract each other by mutually induced polarization, providing the initial driving force for the fusion of the pairs.
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6
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Park J, Winey KI. Double Gyroid Morphologies in Precise Ion-Containing Multiblock Copolymers Synthesized via Step-Growth Polymerization. JACS AU 2022; 2:1769-1780. [PMID: 36032527 PMCID: PMC9400044 DOI: 10.1021/jacsau.2c00254] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2022] [Revised: 07/14/2022] [Accepted: 07/14/2022] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
The double gyroid structure was first reported in diblock copolymers about 30 years ago, and the complexity of this morphology relative to the other ordered morphologies in block copolymers continues to fascinate the soft matter community. The double gyroid microphase-separated morphology has co-continuous domains of both species, and the minority phase is subdivided into two interpenetrating network structures. In addition to diblock copolymers, this structure has been reported in similar systems including diblock copolymers blended with one or two homopolymers and ABA-type triblock copolymers. Given the narrow composition region over which the double gyroid structure is typically observed (∼3 vol %), anionic polymerization has dominated the synthesis of block copolymers to control their composition and molecular weight. This perspective will highlight recent studies that (1) employ an alternative polymerization method to make block copolymers and (2) report double gyroid structures with lattice parameters below 10 nm. Specifically, step-growth polymerization linked precise polyethylene blocks and short sulfonate-containing blocks to form strictly alternating multiblock copolymers, and these copolymers produce the double gyroid structure over a dramatically wider composition range (>14 vol %). These new (AB) n multiblock copolymers self-assemble into the double gyroid structure by having exceptional control over the polymer architecture and large interaction parameters between the blocks. This perspective proposes criteria for a broader and synthetically more accessible range of polymers that self-assemble into double gyroids and other ordered structures, so that these remarkable structures can be employed to solve a variety of technological challenges.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jinseok Park
- Department
of Materials Science and Engineering, University
of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, United States
| | - Karen I. Winey
- Department
of Materials Science and Engineering, University
of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, United States
- Department
of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, United States
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7
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Zhang ZK, Ding SP, Ye Z, Xia DL, Xu JT. Thermodynamic understanding the phase behavior of fully quaternized poly(ethylene oxide)-b-poly(4-vinylpyridine) block copolymers. POLYMER 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.polymer.2022.125045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
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8
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Grim BJ, Green MD. Thermodynamics and Structure‐Property Relationships of Charged Block Polymers. MACROMOL CHEM PHYS 2022. [DOI: 10.1002/macp.202200036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Bradley J. Grim
- Chemical Engineering School for Engineering of Matter Transport and Energy Arizona State University Tempe AZ 85287
| | - Matthew D. Green
- Chemical Engineering School for Engineering of Matter Transport and Energy Arizona State University Tempe AZ 85287
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9
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Ylitalo AS, Balzer C, Zhang P, Wang ZG. Electrostatic Correlations and Temperature-Dependent Dielectric Constant Can Model LCST in Polyelectrolyte Complex Coacervation. Macromolecules 2021. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.macromol.1c02000] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Andrew S. Ylitalo
- Division of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California 91125, United States
| | - Christopher Balzer
- Division of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California 91125, United States
| | - Pengfei Zhang
- State Key Laboratory for Modification of Chemical Fibers and Polymer Materials, Center for Advanced Low-Dimension Materials, College of Material Science and Engineering, Donghua University, Shanghai 201620, China
| | - Zhen-Gang Wang
- Division of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California 91125, United States
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10
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Gordievskaya YD, Kramarenko EY, Gavrilov AA. The effect of explicit polarity on the conformational behavior of a single polyelectrolyte chain. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2021; 23:26296-26305. [PMID: 34787619 DOI: 10.1039/d1cp03167h] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
In this work using dissipative particle dynamics simulations with explicit treatment of polar species we demonstrate that the molecular nature of dielectric media has a significant impact on swelling and collapse of a polyelectrolyte chain in a dilute solution. We show that the small-scale effects related to the presence of polar species lead to the intensification of the electrostatic interactions when the charges are close to each other and/or their density is high enough. As a result, the electrostatic strength , usually regarded as the main parameter governing the polyelectrolyte chain collapse, does not have a universal meaning: the value of λ at which the coil-to-globule transition occurs is found to be dependent on the specific fixed value of the solvent bulk permittivity ε while varying the monomer unit charge Q and vice versa. This effect is observed even when the backbone and the counterions have the same polarity as the solvent beads, i.e. no dielectric mismatch is present. The reason for such behavior is rationalized in terms of the "effective" dielectric permittivity εeff which depends on the volume fraction φ of charged units inside the polymer chain volume; using εeff instead of ε collapses all data onto one master curve describing the chain shrinking with λ. Furthermore, it is shown that a polar chain adopts less swollen conformations in the polyelectrolyte regime and collapses more easily compared to a non-polar chain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yulia D Gordievskaya
- Faculty of Physics, Lomonosov Moscow State University, 119991 Moscow, Russia. .,A. N. Nesmeyanov Institute of Organoelement Compounds RAS, 119991 Moscow, Russia
| | - Elena Yu Kramarenko
- Faculty of Physics, Lomonosov Moscow State University, 119991 Moscow, Russia. .,A. N. Nesmeyanov Institute of Organoelement Compounds RAS, 119991 Moscow, Russia
| | - Alexey A Gavrilov
- Faculty of Physics, Lomonosov Moscow State University, 119991 Moscow, Russia.
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11
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Vigil DL, Delaney KT, Fredrickson GH. Quantitative Comparison of Field-Update Algorithms for Polymer SCFT and FTS. Macromolecules 2021. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.macromol.1c01804] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Daniel L. Vigil
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of California, Santa Barbara, California 93106, United States
| | - Kris T. Delaney
- Materials Research Laboratory, University of California, Santa Barbara, California 93106, United States
| | - Glenn H. Fredrickson
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of California, Santa Barbara, California 93106, United States
- Materials Research Laboratory, University of California, Santa Barbara, California 93106, United States
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12
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Ma B, Olvera de la Cruz M. A Perspective on the Design of Ion-Containing Polymers for Polymer Electrolyte Applications. J Phys Chem B 2021; 125:3015-3022. [PMID: 33635658 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.0c08707] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Ion-containing polymers have numerous potential applications as energy storage and conversion devices, water purification membranes, and gas separation membranes, to name a few. Given the low dielectric constant of the media, ions and charges on polymers in a molten state interact strongly producing large effects on chain statistics, thermodynamics, and diffusion properties. Here, we discuss recent research accomplishments on the effects of ionic correlation and dielectric heterogeneity on the phase behavior of ion-containing polymers. Progress made in studying ion transport properties in these material systems is also highlighted. Charged block copolymers (BCPs), among all kinds of ion-containing polymers, have a particular advantage owing to their robust mechanical support and ion conducting paths provided by the segregation of the neutral and charged blocks. Coulombic interactions among the charges play a critical role in determining the phase segregation in charged BCPs and the domain size of charge-rich regions. We show that strongly charged BCPs display ordered phases as a result of electrostatic interactions alone. In addition, bulky charge-containing side groups attached to the charged block lead to the formation of morphologies that provide continuous channels and better dissociation for ion conduction purposes. Finally, a few avenues for designing ion-containing polymers for energy applications are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Boran Ma
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States
| | - Monica Olvera de la Cruz
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States.,Department of Chemistry, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States.,Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States.,Department of Physics and Astronomy, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States
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13
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Grzetic DJ, Delaney KT, Fredrickson GH. Electrostatic Manipulation of Phase Behavior in Immiscible Charged Polymer Blends. Macromolecules 2021. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.macromol.1c00095] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Douglas J. Grzetic
- Materials Research Laboratory, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California 93106, United States
| | - Kris T. Delaney
- Materials Research Laboratory, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California 93106, United States
| | - Glenn H. Fredrickson
- Materials Research Laboratory, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California 93106, United States
- Departments of Chemical Engineering and Materials, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California 93106, United States
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14
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Shen KH, Fan M, Hall LM. Molecular Dynamics Simulations of Ion-Containing Polymers Using Generic Coarse-Grained Models. Macromolecules 2021. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.macromol.0c02557] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Kuan-Hsuan Shen
- William G. Lowrie Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 43210, United States
| | - Mengdi Fan
- William G. Lowrie Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 43210, 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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15
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Shah NJ, Dadashi-Silab S, Galluzzo MD, Chakraborty S, Loo WS, Matyjaszewski K, Balsara NP. Effect of Added Salt on Disordered Poly(ethylene oxide)-Block-Poly(methyl methacrylate) Copolymer Electrolytes. Macromolecules 2021. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.macromol.0c02493] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Neel J. Shah
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
- Materials Sciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
| | - Sajjad Dadashi-Silab
- Department of Chemistry, Carnegie Mellon University, 4400 Fifth Avenue, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213, United States
| | - Michael D. Galluzzo
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
- Materials Sciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
| | - Saheli Chakraborty
- Energy Storage and Distributed Resources Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
| | - Whitney S. Loo
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
- Materials Sciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
| | - Krzysztof Matyjaszewski
- Department of Chemistry, Carnegie Mellon University, 4400 Fifth Avenue, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213, United States
| | - Nitash P. Balsara
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
- Materials Sciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
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16
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Xia Y, Xu X, Yu H, Zhou C, Nie Z, Yang J, Qian J, Ni H. Preparation of zwitterionic microspheres of PDMAEMA-b-PMAA by RAFT dispersion polymerization in alcohol, their pH-sensitivity in water, and self-assembly in KCl solution. Colloid Polym Sci 2020. [DOI: 10.1007/s00396-020-04790-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
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17
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Li W, Carrillo JMY, Sumpter BG, Kumar R. Modulating Microphase Separation of Lamellae-Forming Diblock Copolymers via Ionic Junctions. ACS Macro Lett 2020; 9:1667-1673. [PMID: 35617068 DOI: 10.1021/acsmacrolett.0c00592] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
We present a molecular dynamics simulation study investigating the phase behavior of lamellae-forming diblock copolymers with a single ionic junction on the backbone. Our results show qualitative agreement with experimental findings regarding enhanced microphase separation with the introduction of an ionic junction at the conjunction point, while further revealing nonmonotonic changes in domain spacing and order-disorder transition as a function of the electrostatic interaction strength. This highlights the dominant roles of entropic and binding effects of counterions under weak and strong ionic correlations, respectively. The location of the ionic junction is found to effectively modulate the charge distribution and chain conformation in the ordered domains; its presence in the middle of a block promotes folding of the block, leading to a smaller domain size. These findings demonstrate the interplay of ionic coupling with steric hindrance and chain end effects, which enhances our understanding of the delicate control over the microphase domain features.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei Li
- Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37831, United States
| | - Jan-Michael Y. Carrillo
- Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37831, United States
| | - Bobby G. Sumpter
- Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37831, United States
| | - Rajeev Kumar
- Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37831, United States
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18
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Nakamura I. Microphase Separation of Ionic Liquid-Containing Diblock Copolymers: Effects of Dielectric Inhomogeneity and Asymmetry in the Molecular Volumes and Interactions between the Cation and Anion. Macromolecules 2020. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.macromol.0c00318] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Issei Nakamura
- Department of Physics, Michigan Technological University, Houghton, Michigan 49931, United States
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19
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Schauser NS, Grzetic DJ, Tabassum T, Kliegle GA, Le ML, Susca EM, Antoine S, Keller TJ, Delaney KT, Han S, Seshadri R, Fredrickson GH, Segalman RA. The Role of Backbone Polarity on Aggregation and Conduction of Ions in Polymer Electrolytes. J Am Chem Soc 2020; 142:7055-7065. [DOI: 10.1021/jacs.0c00587] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
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20
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Jiang J, Chen X, Yang S, Chen EQ. The size and affinity effect of counterions on self-assembly of charged block copolymers. J Chem Phys 2020; 152:124901. [PMID: 32241155 DOI: 10.1063/5.0002896] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
The effect of counterions' size and affinity on the microphase separated morphologies of neutral-charged diblock copolymers is investigated systematically using a random phase approximation (RPA) and self-consistent field theory (SCFT). The phase diagrams as a function of χAB and fA at different counterion sizes and different affinities to neutral blocks are constructed, respectively. Stability limits calculated using the RPA are in good agreement with the disorder-body-centered cubic phase boundaries from SCFT calculations. It was found that increasing the size of counterions causes the phase diagram to shift upward and leftward, which is attributed to electrostatic interactions and the intrinsic volume of counterions. The domain size of the ordered phase shows an unexpected tendency that it decreases with increasing counterions' size. The counterions' distributions in H and G phases demonstrate that it is electrostatic interaction, instead of packing frustration, that plays a leading role in such systems. For finite size counterions, with the increase in affinity between counterions and neutral blocks, the phase diagram shifts upward, indicating the improved compatibility between different blocks. Furthermore, the affinity effect between counterions and neutral blocks can be mapped into an effective Flory parameter χAB ' = χAB + 0.27χBC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiadi Jiang
- Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, Department of Polymer Science and Engineering and Key Laboratory of Polymer Chemistry and Physics of Ministry of Education, College of Chemistry, Peking University, Beijing 100871, People's Republic of China
| | - Xu Chen
- Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, Department of Polymer Science and Engineering and Key Laboratory of Polymer Chemistry and Physics of Ministry of Education, College of Chemistry, Peking University, Beijing 100871, People's Republic of China
| | - Shuang Yang
- Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, Department of Polymer Science and Engineering and Key Laboratory of Polymer Chemistry and Physics of Ministry of Education, College of Chemistry, Peking University, Beijing 100871, People's Republic of China
| | - Er-Qiang Chen
- Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, Department of Polymer Science and Engineering and Key Laboratory of Polymer Chemistry and Physics of Ministry of Education, College of Chemistry, Peking University, Beijing 100871, People's Republic of China
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21
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Seo Y, Shen KH, Brown JR, Hall LM. Role of Solvation on Diffusion of Ions in Diblock Copolymers: Understanding the Molecular Weight Effect through Modeling. J Am Chem Soc 2019; 141:18455-18466. [PMID: 31674178 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.9b07227] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Youngmi Seo
- William G. Lowrie Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, The Ohio State University, 151 West Woodruff Avenue, Columbus, Ohio 43210, United States
| | - Kuan-Hsuan Shen
- William G. Lowrie Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, The Ohio State University, 151 West Woodruff Avenue, Columbus, Ohio 43210, United States
| | - Jonathan R. Brown
- William G. Lowrie Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, The Ohio State University, 151 West Woodruff Avenue, Columbus, Ohio 43210, United States
| | - Lisa M. Hall
- William G. Lowrie Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, The Ohio State University, 151 West Woodruff Avenue, Columbus, Ohio 43210, United States
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