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Seong HG, Jin Z, Chen Z, Hu M, Emrick T, Russell TP. Bottlebrush Block Copolymers at the Interface of Immiscible Liquids: Adsorption and Lateral Packing. J Am Chem Soc 2024; 146:13000-13009. [PMID: 38710503 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.3c13817] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/08/2024]
Abstract
Amphiphilic bottlebrush block copolymers (BBCPs), having a hydrophilic bottlebrush polymer (BP) linked covalently to a hydrophobic BP, were found to segregate to liquid-liquid interfaces to minimize the free energy of the system. The key parameter influencing the outcome of the experiments is the ratio between the degree of polymerization of the backbone (NBB) and that of the side-chain brushes (NSC). Specifically, a spherical, star-like configuration results when NBB < NSC, while a cylindrical, bottlebrush-like shape is preferred when NBB > NSC. Dynamic interfacial tension (γ) and fluorescence recovery after photobleaching (FRAP) measurements show that the BBCP configuration influences the areal density and in-plane diffusion at the fluid interface. The characteristic relaxation times associated with BBCP adsorption (τA) and reorganization (τR) were determined by fitting time-dependent interfacial tension measurements to a sum of two exponential relaxation functions. Both τA and τR initially increased with NBB up to 92 repeat units, due to the larger hydrodynamic radius in solution and slower in-plane diffusivity, attributed to a shorter cross-sectional diameter of the side-chains near the block junction. This trend reversed at NBB = 190, with shorter τA and τR attributed to increased segregation strength and exposure of the bare water/toluene interface due to tilting and/or wiggling of the backbone chains, respectively. The adsorption energy barrier decreased with higher NBB, due to a reduced BBCP packing density at the fluid interface. This study provides fundamental insights into macromolecular assembly at fluid interfaces, as it pertains to unique bottlebrush block architectures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hong-Gyu Seong
- Polymer Science & Engineering Department, Conte Center for Polymer Research, University of Massachusetts, 120 Governors Drive, Amherst, Massachusetts 01003, United States
| | - Zichen Jin
- Polymer Science & Engineering Department, Conte Center for Polymer Research, University of Massachusetts, 120 Governors Drive, Amherst, Massachusetts 01003, United States
| | - Zhan Chen
- Polymer Science & Engineering Department, Conte Center for Polymer Research, University of Massachusetts, 120 Governors Drive, Amherst, Massachusetts 01003, United States
| | - Mingqiu Hu
- Polymer Science & Engineering Department, Conte Center for Polymer Research, University of Massachusetts, 120 Governors Drive, Amherst, Massachusetts 01003, United States
| | - Todd Emrick
- Polymer Science & Engineering Department, Conte Center for Polymer Research, University of Massachusetts, 120 Governors Drive, Amherst, Massachusetts 01003, United States
| | - Thomas P Russell
- Polymer Science & Engineering Department, Conte Center for Polymer Research, University of Massachusetts, 120 Governors Drive, Amherst, Massachusetts 01003, United States
- Materials Sciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, 1 Cyclotron Road, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
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Jeon S, Kamble YL, Kang H, Shi J, Wade MA, Patel BB, Pan T, Rogers SA, Sing CE, Guironnet D, Diao Y. Direct-ink-write cross-linkable bottlebrush block copolymers for on-the-fly control of structural color. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2024; 121:e2313617121. [PMID: 38377215 PMCID: PMC10907314 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2313617121] [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: 08/08/2023] [Accepted: 01/16/2024] [Indexed: 02/22/2024] Open
Abstract
Additive manufacturing capable of controlling and dynamically modulating structures down to the nanoscopic scale remains challenging. By marrying additive manufacturing with self-assembly, we develop a UV (ultra-violet)-assisted direct ink write approach for on-the-fly modulation of structural color by programming the assembly kinetics through photo-cross-linking. We design a photo-cross-linkable bottlebrush block copolymer solution as a printing ink that exhibits vibrant structural color (i.e., photonic properties) due to the nanoscopic lamellar structures formed post extrusion. By dynamically modulating UV-light irradiance during printing, we can program the color of the printed material to access a broad spectrum of visible light with a single ink while also creating color gradients not previously possible. We unveil the mechanism of this approach using a combination of coarse-grained simulations, rheological measurements, and structural characterizations. Central to the assembly mechanism is the matching of the cross-linking timescale with the assembly timescale, which leads to kinetic trapping of the assembly process that evolves structural color from blue to red driven by solvent evaporation. This strategy of integrating cross-linking chemistry and out-of-equilibrium processing opens an avenue for spatiotemporal control of self-assembled nanostructures during additive manufacturing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sanghyun Jeon
- Department Materials Science and Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL61801
| | - Yash Laxman Kamble
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL61801
| | - Haisu Kang
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL61801
| | - Jiachun Shi
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL61801
| | - Matthew A. Wade
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL61801
| | - Bijal B. Patel
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL61801
| | - Tianyuan Pan
- Department Materials Science and Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL61801
- Department of Molecular Science and Engineering, Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL61801
| | - Simon A. Rogers
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL61801
- Department of Molecular Science and Engineering, Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL61801
| | - Charles E. Sing
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL61801
- Department of Molecular Science and Engineering, Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL61801
| | - Damien Guironnet
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL61801
- Department of Molecular Science and Engineering, Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL61801
- Department of Chemistry, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL61801
| | - Ying Diao
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL61801
- Department of Molecular Science and Engineering, Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL61801
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Dutta S, Sing CE. Brownian dynamics simulations of bottlebrush polymers in dilute solution under simple shear and uniaxial extensional flows. J Chem Phys 2024; 160:044901. [PMID: 38258921 DOI: 10.1063/5.0177113] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2023] [Accepted: 01/01/2024] [Indexed: 01/24/2024] Open
Abstract
We study the dynamics of bottlebrush polymer molecules in dilute solutions subjected to shear and uniaxial extensional flows using Brownian dynamics simulations with hydrodynamic interaction (HI). Bottlebrush polymers are modeled using a coarse-grained representation, consisting of a set of beads interacting pairwise via a purely repulsive potential and connected by finitely extensible nonlinear springs. We present the results for molecular stretching, stress, and solution viscosity during the startup of flow as well as under steady state as a function of side chain length while keeping the backbone length fixed. In extensional flow, the backbone fractional extension and the first normal stress difference decrease with an increase in side chain length at a fixed Weissenberg number (Wi). Using simulation results both in the presence of and in the absence of HI, we show that this is primarily a consequence of steric interaction resulting from the dense grafting of side chains. In shear flow, we observe a shear-thinning behavior in all cases, although it becomes less pronounced with increasing side chain length. Furthermore, nonmonotonicity in the backbone fractional extension is observed under shear, particularly at high Wi. We contextualize our simulation results for bottlebrush polymers with respect to existing studies in the literature for linear polymers and show that the unique dynamical features characterizing bottlebrush polymers arise on account of their additional molecular thickness due to the presence of densely grafted side chains.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarit Dutta
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 600 S Mathews Avenue, Urbana, Illinois 61801, USA
| | - Charles E Sing
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 600 S Mathews Avenue, Urbana, Illinois 61801, USA
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Esteki B, Masoomi M, Asadinezhad A. Tailored Morphology in Polystyrene/Poly(lactic acid) Blend Particles: Solvent's Effect on Controlled Janus/Core-Shell Structures. LANGMUIR : THE ACS JOURNAL OF SURFACES AND COLLOIDS 2023; 39:15306-15318. [PMID: 37864780 DOI: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.3c02103] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2023]
Abstract
Controlling the morphology of polymeric particles is vital for their diverse applications. In this study, we explored how solvent composition influences the morphology of poly(styrene)/poly(lactic acid) (PS/PLA) particles prepared via the emulsion solvent evaporation method. We used toluene, dichloromethane (DCM), and various mixtures to prepare these particles. We investigated phase separation within the PS/PLA/solvent system using the Flory-Huggins ternary phase diagram and MesoDyn simulation, revealing pronounced immiscibility and phase separation in both PS/PLA/DCM and PS/PLA/toluene systems. We employed scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR) to characterize the resulting morphologies. Our study unveiled the substantial impact of solvent composition on particle structure. Using pure toluene resulted in acorn-shaped Janus particles. However, incorporating DCM into the solvent induced a transition from Janus to core-shell morphology. Remarkably, core-shell particles exhibited a single-core structure in a mixed toluene/DCM solvent, indicating thermodynamic stability. In contrast, pure DCM favored kinetically controlled multicore morphology, leading to lower PLA crystallinity due to increased PS-PLA interfaces. Samples with high Janus balance formed a self-assembled, two-dimensional (2-D) monolayer film, demonstrating the interfacial activity of the Janus particles. This 2-D monolayer film exhibits desirable emulsification properties with potential applications in various fields. Our study combines theoretical and experimental analyses, shedding light on the profound impact of solvent composition on the PS/PLA particle morphology. We observed transitions from Janus to core-shell structures, highlighted the influence of solvent viscosity on particle size, and uncovered the formation of self-assembled 2-D monolayer films. These insights are pivotal for tailoring polymeric particle structures. Furthermore, our findings advance macromolecular science in interface design, offering promising prospects for innovative materials development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bahareh Esteki
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Isfahan University of Technology, Isfahan 84156-83111, Iran
| | - Mahmood Masoomi
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Isfahan University of Technology, Isfahan 84156-83111, Iran
| | - Ahmad Asadinezhad
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Isfahan University of Technology, Isfahan 84156-83111, Iran
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Weidinger B, Yang G, von Coelln N, Nirschl H, Wacker I, Tegeder P, Schröder RR, Blasco E. 3D Printing Hierarchically Nano-Ordered Structures. ADVANCED SCIENCE (WEINHEIM, BADEN-WURTTEMBERG, GERMANY) 2023; 10:e2302756. [PMID: 37532671 PMCID: PMC10558687 DOI: 10.1002/advs.202302756] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2023] [Revised: 06/27/2023] [Indexed: 08/04/2023]
Abstract
Natural materials are composed of a limited number of molecular building blocks and their exceptional properties are governed by their hierarchical structure. However, this level of precision is unattainable with current state-of-the-art materials for 3D printing. Herein, new self-assembled printable materials based on block copolymers (BCPs) enabling precise control of the nanostructure in 3D are presented. In particular, well-defined BCPs consisting of poly(styrene) (PS) and a polymethacrylate-based copolymer decorated with printable units are selected as suitable self-assembled materials and synthesized using controlled radical polymerization. The synthesized library of BCPs are utilized as printable formulations for the fabrication of complex 3D microstructures using two-photon laser printing. By fine-tuning the BCP composition and solvent in the formulations, the fabrication of precise 3D nano-ordered structures is demonstrated for the first time. A key point of this work is the achievement of controlled nano-order within the entire 3D structures. Thus, imaging of the cross-sections of the 3D printed samples is performed, enabling the visualization also from the inside. The presented versatile approach is expected to create new avenues for the precise design of functional polymer materials suitable for high-resolution 3D printing exhibiting tailor-made nanostructures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Britta Weidinger
- Insitute for Molecular Systems Engineering and Advanced MaterialsUniversität HeidelbergIm Neuenheimer Feld 22569120HeidelbergGermany
- Institute of Organic ChemistryUniversität HeidelbergIm Neuenheimer Feld 27069120HeidelbergGermany
| | - Guohui Yang
- Institute of Mechanical Process Engineering and Mechanics, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT)76131KarlsruheGermany
| | - Nadine von Coelln
- Physikalisch‐Chemisches InstitutUniversität HeidelbergIm Neuenheimer Feld 25369120HeidelbergGermany
| | - Hermann Nirschl
- Institute of Mechanical Process Engineering and Mechanics, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT)76131KarlsruheGermany
| | - Irene Wacker
- BioQuantUniversität HeidelbergIm Neuenheimer Feld 26769120HeidelbergGermany
| | - Petra Tegeder
- Physikalisch‐Chemisches InstitutUniversität HeidelbergIm Neuenheimer Feld 25369120HeidelbergGermany
| | - Rasmus R. Schröder
- BioQuantUniversität HeidelbergIm Neuenheimer Feld 26769120HeidelbergGermany
| | - Eva Blasco
- Insitute for Molecular Systems Engineering and Advanced MaterialsUniversität HeidelbergIm Neuenheimer Feld 22569120HeidelbergGermany
- Institute of Organic ChemistryUniversität HeidelbergIm Neuenheimer Feld 27069120HeidelbergGermany
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Uhlik F, Rud OV, Borisov OV, Zhulina EB. Hairy Gels: A Computational Study. Gels 2022; 8:gels8120793. [PMID: 36547317 PMCID: PMC9777993 DOI: 10.3390/gels8120793] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2022] [Revised: 11/25/2022] [Accepted: 11/29/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
We present results of MD and MC simulations of the equilibrium properties of swelling gels with comb-like or bottlebrush subchains and compare them to scaling-theory predictions. In accordance with theory, the simulation results demonstrate that swelling coefficient of the gel increases as a function of the polymerization degree of the main chains and exhibits a very weak maximum (or is virtually constant) as a function of the polymerization degree and grafting density of side chains. The bulk osmotic modulus passes through a shallow minimum as the polymerization degree of the side chains increases. This minimum is attributed to the onset of overlap of side chains belonging to different bottlebrush strands in the swollen gel.
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Affiliation(s)
- Filip Uhlik
- Department of Physical and Macromolecular Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Charles University, 128 00 Prague, Czech Republic
- Correspondence: (F.U.); (O.V.R.); (O.V.B.); (E.B.Z.)
| | - Oleg V. Rud
- Department of Physical and Macromolecular Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Charles University, 128 00 Prague, Czech Republic
- Institute of Macromolecular Compounds of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 199004 St. Petersburg, Russia
- Correspondence: (F.U.); (O.V.R.); (O.V.B.); (E.B.Z.)
| | - Oleg V. Borisov
- Institute of Macromolecular Compounds of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 199004 St. Petersburg, Russia
- Institut des Sciences Analytiques et de Physico-Chimie Pour l’Environnement et les Matériaux, UMR 5254 CNRS UPPA, CEDEX 9, 64053 Pau, France
- Correspondence: (F.U.); (O.V.R.); (O.V.B.); (E.B.Z.)
| | - Ekaterina B. Zhulina
- Institute of Macromolecular Compounds of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 199004 St. Petersburg, Russia
- Correspondence: (F.U.); (O.V.R.); (O.V.B.); (E.B.Z.)
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Zhulina EB, Sheiko SS, Borisov OV. Theoretical advances in molecular bottlebrushes and comblike (co)polymers: solutions, gels, and self-assembly. SOFT MATTER 2022; 18:8714-8732. [PMID: 36373559 DOI: 10.1039/d2sm01141g] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
We present an overview of state-of-the-art theory of (i) conformational properties of molecular bottlebrushes in solution, (ii) self-assembly of di- and triblock copolymers comprising comb-shaped and bottlebrush blocks in solutions and melts, and (iii) cross-linked and self-assembled gels with bottlebrush subchains. We demonstrate how theoretical models enable quantitative prediction and interpretation of experimental results and provide rational guidance for design of new materials with physical properties tunable by architecture of constituent bottlebrush blocks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ekaterina B Zhulina
- Institute of Macromolecular Compounds of the Russian Academy of Sciences, St. Petersburg, Russia
| | - Sergei S Sheiko
- Institute of Macromolecular Compounds of the Russian Academy of Sciences, St. Petersburg, Russia
- Department of Chemistry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 27599, USA
| | - Oleg V Borisov
- Institute of Macromolecular Compounds of the Russian Academy of Sciences, St. Petersburg, Russia
- Institut des Sciences Analytiques et de Physico-Chimie pour l'Environnement et les Matériaux, UMR 5254 CNRS UPPA, Pau, France.
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