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Zhang J, Wu J, Jiang R, Wang Z, Yin Y, Li B, Wang Q. Lattice self-consistent field calculations of confined symmetric block copolymers of various chain architectures. SOFT MATTER 2020; 16:4311-4323. [PMID: 32315012 DOI: 10.1039/d0sm00293c] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
The effects of chain architecture and confinement on the structure and orientation of lamellae formed by incompressible and symmetric AB-type block copolymer melts confined between two parallel and identical surfaces are investigated using self-consistent field calculations on a simple cubic lattice. Five systems of various chain architectures (linear, ring, and star) and lengths are studied, with their bulk lamellar period L0 chosen such that they have comparable L0/Rg, where Rg denotes the ideal-chain radius of gyration. For thin films of thickness D = L0 confined between two neutral surfaces, we define the rescaled volume fraction profiles of A, B, chain end, and joint segments in the parallel and perpendicular lamellae such that these profiles can be directly compared among the five systems to quantitatively reveal the interplay between the chain-end enrichment near confining surfaces and the surface-induced A-B compatibilization, and how such interplay is affected by the chain architectures (for example, the chain-crowding effects in the star block copolymers). The effects of D and surface preference for one of the blocks are also investigated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jingxue Zhang
- School of Physics, Key Laboratory of Functional Polymer Materials of Ministry of Education, Nankai University, and Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemical Science and Engineering (Tianjin), Tianjin, 300071, China.
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2
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Qiu W, Li B, Wang Q. Lattice self-consistent field calculations of ring polymer brushes. SOFT MATTER 2018; 14:1887-1896. [PMID: 29460946 DOI: 10.1039/c8sm00140e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
We reported the first systematic study using lattice self-consistent field (LSCF) calculations of ring homopolymer brushes grafted onto a flat and homogeneous surface and immersed in an explicit and athermal solvent, which are either uncompressed, compressed by a flat and impenetrable surface, or compressed by an identical brush. Our results clearly show that ring brushes are slightly less stretched than, thus nearly but not completely identical to, the "equivalent" linear brushes having half the chain length and double the grafting density. Our LSCF results are consistent with the molecular simulation results reported in the literature (Reith et al., Europhys. Lett., 2011, 95, 28003; Erbas and Paturej, Soft Matter, 2015, 11, 3139), except that Erbas and Paturej reported that the normal pressure of two opposing ring brushes is only half of the "equivalent" linear brushes at melt density.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenjuan Qiu
- School of Physics, Nankai University, No. 94 Weijin Rd, Nankai District, Tianjin, 300071, P. R. China.
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Qiu W, Wang Z, Yin Y, Jiang R, Li B, Wang Q. A lattice self-consistent field study of self-assembly of grafted ABA triblock copolymers in a selective solvent. POLYMER 2018. [DOI: 10.1016/j.polymer.2018.02.046] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/17/2022]
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Zoppe JO, Ataman NC, Mocny P, Wang J, Moraes J, Klok HA. Surface-Initiated Controlled Radical Polymerization: State-of-the-Art, Opportunities, and Challenges in Surface and Interface Engineering with Polymer Brushes. Chem Rev 2017; 117:1105-1318. [PMID: 28135076 DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrev.6b00314] [Citation(s) in RCA: 600] [Impact Index Per Article: 85.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
The generation of polymer brushes by surface-initiated controlled radical polymerization (SI-CRP) techniques has become a powerful approach to tailor the chemical and physical properties of interfaces and has given rise to great advances in surface and interface engineering. Polymer brushes are defined as thin polymer films in which the individual polymer chains are tethered by one chain end to a solid interface. Significant advances have been made over the past years in the field of polymer brushes. This includes novel developments in SI-CRP, as well as the emergence of novel applications such as catalysis, electronics, nanomaterial synthesis and biosensing. Additionally, polymer brushes prepared via SI-CRP have been utilized to modify the surface of novel substrates such as natural fibers, polymer nanofibers, mesoporous materials, graphene, viruses and protein nanoparticles. The last years have also seen exciting advances in the chemical and physical characterization of polymer brushes, as well as an ever increasing set of computational and simulation tools that allow understanding and predictions of these surface-grafted polymer architectures. The aim of this contribution is to provide a comprehensive review that critically assesses recent advances in the field and highlights the opportunities and challenges for future work.
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Affiliation(s)
- Justin O Zoppe
- Institut des Matériaux and Institut des Sciences et Ingénierie Chimiques, Laboratoire des Polymères Bâtiment MXD, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) , Station 12 CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Nariye Cavusoglu Ataman
- Institut des Matériaux and Institut des Sciences et Ingénierie Chimiques, Laboratoire des Polymères Bâtiment MXD, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) , Station 12 CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Piotr Mocny
- Institut des Matériaux and Institut des Sciences et Ingénierie Chimiques, Laboratoire des Polymères Bâtiment MXD, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) , Station 12 CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Jian Wang
- Institut des Matériaux and Institut des Sciences et Ingénierie Chimiques, Laboratoire des Polymères Bâtiment MXD, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) , Station 12 CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - John Moraes
- Institut des Matériaux and Institut des Sciences et Ingénierie Chimiques, Laboratoire des Polymères Bâtiment MXD, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) , Station 12 CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Harm-Anton Klok
- Institut des Matériaux and Institut des Sciences et Ingénierie Chimiques, Laboratoire des Polymères Bâtiment MXD, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) , Station 12 CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
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Quantitative study of fluctuation effects by fast lattice Monte Carlo simulations. VI. Phase behavior of incompressible symmetric binary homopolymer blends. POLYMER 2016. [DOI: 10.1016/j.polymer.2016.08.035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
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Zhang P, Yang D, Wang Q. Quantitative study of fluctuation effects by fast lattice Monte Carlo simulations. V. incompressible homopolymer melts. J Phys Chem B 2014; 118:12059-67. [PMID: 25233133 DOI: 10.1021/jp507391j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Using fast lattice Monte Carlo (FLMC) simulations (Wang, Q. Soft Matter 2009, 5, 4564) and the corresponding polymer lattice field theories, including the lattice self-consistent field and Gaussian-fluctuation (LGF) theories, we studied a model system of incompressible homopolymer melts on a hexagonal lattice, where each lattice site is occupied by a total of ρ(0) ≥ 1 polymer segments. We generalized the cooperative motion algorithm (Pakula, T. Macromolecules 1987, 20, 679), as well as the related vacancy diffusion algorithm (Reiter, J.; Edling, T.; Pakula, T. J. Chem. Phys. 1990, 93, 837), originally proposed for the self- and mutual-avoiding walk (where ρ(0) = 1) to the case of ρ(0) > 1, where our generalized algorithm is highly efficient (i.e., nearly rejection-free). On the other hand, we extended the method of Wang (Wang, Z.-G. Macromolecules 1995, 28, 570) to calculate various single-chain properties in LGF theory. Direct comparisons between FLMC and LGF results, both of which are based on the same Hamiltonian (thus without any parameter-fitting between them), unambiguously and quantitatively reveal the effects of non-Gaussian fluctuations neglected by the latter. We found that FLMC results approach LGF predictions with increasing ρ(0), and that the leading order of non-Gaussian fluctuation effects on the single-chain properties is inversely proportional to ρ(0)(2). Our work suggests that theories capturing the first-order non-Gaussian fluctuation effects may give quantitative agreement with FLMC simulations of incompressible homopolymer melts at ρ(0) ≥ 2 in two and three dimensions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pengfei Zhang
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Colorado State University , Fort Collins, Colorado 80523-1370, United States
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Yang D, Wang Q. Structural and phase transitions of one and two polymer mushrooms in poor solvent. J Chem Phys 2014; 140:194902. [PMID: 24852558 DOI: 10.1063/1.4875475] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Using the recently proposed fast lattice Monte Carlo (FLMC) simulations and the corresponding lattice self-consistent field (LSCF) calculations based on the same model system, where multiple occupancy of lattice sites is allowed [Q. Wang, Soft Matter 5, 4564 (2009); Q. Wang, Soft Matter 5, 6206 (2010)], we studied the coil-globule transition (CGT) of one-mushroom systems and the fused-separated transition (FST) of two-mushroom systems, where a polymer mushroom is formed by a group of n homopolymer chains each of N segments end-grafted at the same point onto a flat substrate and immersed in a poor solvent. With our soft potential that allows complete particle overlapping, LSCF theory neglecting the system fluctuations/correlations becomes exact in the limit of n → ∞, and FLMC results approach LSCF predictions with increasing n. Using LSCF calculations, we systematically constructed the phase diagrams of one- and two-mushroom systems. A second-order symmetric-asymmetric transition (SAT) was found in the globule state of one-mushroom systems, where the rotational symmetry around the substrate normal passing through the grafting point is broken in each individual configuration but preserved by the degeneracy of different orientations of these asymmetric configurations. Three different states were also found in two-mushroom systems: separated coils, separated globules, and fused globule. We further studied the coupling between FST in two-mushroom systems and CGT and SAT of each mushroom. Finally, direct comparisons between our simulation and theoretical results, without any parameter-fitting, unambiguously and quantitatively revealed the fluctuation/correlation effects on these phase transitions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Delian Yang
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado 80523-1370, USA
| | - Qiang Wang
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado 80523-1370, USA
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Zhang P, Wang Q. Quantitative study of fluctuation effects by fast lattice Monte Carlo simulations: Compression of grafted homopolymers. J Chem Phys 2014; 140:044904. [DOI: 10.1063/1.4862498] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
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Pandav G, Ganesan V. Fluctuation effects on the order-disorder transition in polydisperse copolymer melts. J Chem Phys 2013; 139:214905. [DOI: 10.1063/1.4833137] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
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Pandav G, Ganesan V. Efficacy of Different Block Copolymers in Facilitating Microemulsion Phases in Polymer Blend Systems. Macromolecules 2013. [DOI: 10.1021/ma4016104] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Gunja Pandav
- Department
of Chemical Engineering, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712, United States
| | - Venkat Ganesan
- Department
of Chemical Engineering, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712, United States
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Sandhu P, Zong J, Yang D, Wang Q. On the comparisons between dissipative particle dynamics simulations and self-consistent field calculations of diblock copolymer microphase separation. J Chem Phys 2013; 138:194904. [DOI: 10.1063/1.4804608] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
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12
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Zong J, Zhang X, Wang Q. Fast off-lattice Monte Carlo simulations of soft-core spherocylinders: Isotropic-nematic transition and comparisons with virial expansion. J Chem Phys 2012; 137:134904. [DOI: 10.1063/1.4755959] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
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Zhang P, Li B, Wang Q. Quantitative Study of Fluctuation Effects by Fast Lattice Monte Carlo Simulations. III. Homopolymer Brushes in an Explicit Solvent. Macromolecules 2012. [DOI: 10.1021/ma202454s] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Pengfei Zhang
- School of Physics, Nankai University, Tianjin, P. R. China 300071
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado 80523-1370,
United States
| | - Baohui Li
- School of Physics, Nankai University, Tianjin, P. R. China 300071
| | - Qiang Wang
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado 80523-1370,
United States
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