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Mohsenzadeh R, Soudmand BH, Najafi A, Hazzazi F. Morphology-Driven Nanofiller Size Measurement Integrated with Micromechanical Finite Element Analysis for Quantifying Interphase in Polymer Nanocomposites. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2024; 16:39927-39941. [PMID: 39018426 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.4c02797] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/19/2024]
Abstract
This study focused on an innovative practical method using computer vision for particle size measurement, which serves as a key precursor for predicting the elastic modulus of polymer nanocomposites. This approach involved the morphological segmentation of the nanodispersed phase. It aimed, for the first time, to address the impractical conditions resulting from the assumption of idealized single-particle sizes in a monodispersed system during modeling. Subsequently, a micromechanical finite element framework was employed to determine the interphase thickness and modulus in ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene/nanozeolite composites, following the quantification of nanoparticle sizes. The size measurement approach relied on morphological images extracted from scanning electron microscopy micrographs of impact-fractured surfaces. To compute the interphase thickness, experimental data was fitted to an interphase-inclusive upper-bound Hashin-Shtrikman model, with the measured average particle size per composition serving as a crucial input. Subsequently, the interphase elastic modulus was computed based on its thickness, employing a hybrid modified-Hashin-Hansen and Maxwell model. These estimated interfacial variables were then utilized as inputs for the finite element model to determine the tensile modulus. A comparison between the model results and measured data revealed a maximum discrepancy of 3.29%, indicating the effectiveness of the methodology employed in quantifying interfacial properties.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rasool Mohsenzadeh
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Technical and Vocational University (TVU), Tehran 1435761137, Iran
| | | | - Amirhossein Najafi
- Computer Engineering, K. N. Toosi University of Technology, Tehran 1969764499, Iran
| | - Fawwaz Hazzazi
- Department of Electrical Engineering, College of Engineering in Al-Kharj, Prince Sattam bin Abdulaziz University, AlKharj 11492, Saudi Arabia
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2
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Tang K, Gao W, Tao D, Wu B, Xue Y, Ge H, Cui X. Numerical investigations of translocation characteristics of nano-silica lunar dust across pulmonary surfactant monolayer. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2024; 347:123780. [PMID: 38484960 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2024.123780] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2024] [Revised: 03/03/2024] [Accepted: 03/11/2024] [Indexed: 04/07/2024]
Abstract
The interactions between nano-silica lunar dust (NSLD) on the moon surface and pulmonary surfactant (PS) monolayer will pose risks to astronaut health in future manned lunar exploration missions, but the specifics of these interactions are unknown. This study investigates them using the coarse-grained molecular dynamics method considering different sizes (5, 10, and 15 nm) and shapes (sphere, ellipsoid, and cube), with special focus on the unique morphology of NSLDs with bugles. The key findings are as follows: (1) The 10 nm and 15 nm NSLDs embed in the PS monolayer through the major sphere of spherical-type, major ellipsoid of ellipsoidal-type, or one edge of cubic-type NSLDs upon contact the PS monolayer. (2) Adsorbed NSLDs cause a higher Sz value (ASz > 0.84), while embedded NSLDs cause a lower Sz value (0.47 < ASz < 0.83) that decreases with an increase in the number of bulges. (3) The embedding process absorbs 50-342 dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC) molecules, reducing the PS monolayer area by 0.21%-6.05%. NSLDs with bulges absorb approximately 9-126 additional DPPC molecules and cause a 0.05%-3.22% reduction in the PS monolayer area compared to NSLDs without bulges. (4) NSLDs move obliquely or vertically within the PS monolayer, displaying two distinct stages with varying velocities. Their movement direction and speed are influenced by the increasing complexity of NSLD with more bulges on them. In general, larger NSLDs with sharper shapes and increasing complex morphology of more bulges cause more significant damages to the PS monolayer. These findings have implications for safeguarding astronaut health in future manned lunar exploration missions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kailiang Tang
- School of Aerospace Engineering, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430074, China
| | - Wen Gao
- Beijing Institute of Spacecraft Environment Engineering, Beijing, 100094, China
| | - Dongxing Tao
- Beijing Institute of Spacecraft Environment Engineering, Beijing, 100094, China
| | - Bin Wu
- China Astronaut Research and Training Center, Beijing, 100094, China
| | - Yuan Xue
- China Astronaut Research and Training Center, Beijing, 100094, China
| | - Haiwen Ge
- Zhejiang Lab, Hangzhou, 311121, China
| | - Xinguang Cui
- School of Aerospace Engineering, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430074, China.
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3
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Zhang Z, Fang Y, Chen Q, Duan P, Wu X, Zhang L, Wu W, Liu J. Molecular dynamics simulation of the impact of the surface topology of carbon black on the mechanical properties of elastomer nanocomposites. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2023; 25:5602-5612. [PMID: 36727525 DOI: 10.1039/d2cp04996a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
Carbon black has always played a pivotal role in reinforcing elastomers because it remarkably improves the mechanical properties. The reinforcing effect of carbon black is influenced by its grades, which mainly depend on the difference in the structure of the carbon black particles. Despite many traditional experiments on the performance of carbon black composites, there has been less emphasis on reinforcement mechanisms due to the challenges associated with unraveling the intermolecular interactions. In this paper, a coarse grained molecular dynamics simulation was employed to examine the relationship between the morphology of the carbon black particles and the mechanical properties of the elastomer nanocomposites. Specifically, three different morphological carbon black nanoparticle models, including the smooth particle model, rough particle model, and the rough ellipsoid model, were constructed first. We then focused on investigating the changes of the mechanical properties by systematically varying the filling fraction of the carbon black particles, and the strength of the interfacial interaction between the filler and the rubber. The results indicated that the surface roughness and the filler's shape had a significant impact on the mechanical properties of the filled rubber models. The mechanical enhancement effect of the rough ellipsoidal carbon black is around 50-400% higher than that of the smooth carbon black, and the stronger the interfacial interactions, the more pronounced the enhancement. In addition, the rough ellipsoid filled system has low hysteresis, low permanent deformation, and high fatigue resistance. In general, this work explores the strengthening mechanism of carbon black on the elastomer at the molecular level and generates new insight into the design and fabrication of novel reinforcing fillers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ziyi Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Beijing City for Preparation and Processing of Novel Polymer Materials, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing, 100029, China.
| | - Yue Fang
- Key Laboratory of Beijing City for Preparation and Processing of Novel Polymer Materials, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing, 100029, China.
| | - Qionghai Chen
- Key Laboratory of Beijing City for Preparation and Processing of Novel Polymer Materials, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing, 100029, China.
| | - Pengwei Duan
- Key Laboratory of Beijing City for Preparation and Processing of Novel Polymer Materials, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing, 100029, China.
| | - Xiaohui Wu
- Key Laboratory of Beijing City for Preparation and Processing of Novel Polymer Materials, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing, 100029, China. .,Beijing Engineering Research Center of Advanced Elastomers, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing, 100029, China.,State Key Laboratory of Organic-Inorganic Composites, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing, 100029, China
| | - Liqun Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Beijing City for Preparation and Processing of Novel Polymer Materials, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing, 100029, China. .,Beijing Engineering Research Center of Advanced Elastomers, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing, 100029, China.,State Key Laboratory of Organic-Inorganic Composites, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing, 100029, China
| | - Wenjie Wu
- Key Laboratory of Beijing City for Preparation and Processing of Novel Polymer Materials, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing, 100029, China. .,Beijing Engineering Research Center of Advanced Elastomers, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing, 100029, China.,State Key Laboratory of Organic-Inorganic Composites, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing, 100029, China
| | - Jun Liu
- Key Laboratory of Beijing City for Preparation and Processing of Novel Polymer Materials, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing, 100029, China. .,Beijing Engineering Research Center of Advanced Elastomers, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing, 100029, China.,State Key Laboratory of Organic-Inorganic Composites, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing, 100029, China
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4
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Khan P, Kaushik R, Jayaraj A. Approaches and Perspective of Coarse-Grained Modeling and Simulation for Polymer-Nanoparticle Hybrid Systems. ACS OMEGA 2022; 7:47567-47586. [PMID: 36591142 PMCID: PMC9798744 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.2c06248] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2022] [Accepted: 11/21/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Molecular modeling and simulations have emerged as effective and indispensable tools to characterize polymeric systems. They provide fundamental and essential insights to design a product of the required properties and to improve the understanding of a phenomenon at the molecular level for a particular system. The polymer-nanoparticle hybrids are materials with outstanding properties and correspondingly large applications whose study has benefited from this new paradigm. However, despite the significant expansion of modern day computational powers, investigation of the long time and large length scale phenomenon in polymeric and polymer-nanoparticle systems is still a challenging task to complete through all-atom molecular dynamics (AA-MD) simulations. To circumvent this problem, a variety of coarse-grained (CG) models have been proposed, ranging from the generic CG models for qualitative properties predictions to more realistic chemically specific CG models for quantitative properties predictions. These CG models have already delivered some success stories in the study of several spatial and temporal evolutions of many processes. Some of these studies were beyond the feasibility of traditional atomistic resolution models due to either the size or the time constraints. This review captures the different types of popular CG approaches that are utilized in the investigation of the microscopic behavior of polymer-nanoparticle hybrid systems. The rationale of this article is to furnish an overview of the popular CG approaches and their applications, to review several important and most recent developments, and to delineate the perspectives on future directions in the field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Parvez Khan
- Department
of Chemical Engineering, Aligarh Muslim
University, Aligarh202002, India
| | - Rahul Kaushik
- Laboratory
for Structural Bioinformatics, Center for Biosystems Dynamics Research, RIKEN, Yokohama, Kanagawa230-0045, Japan
| | - Abhilash Jayaraj
- Department
of Chemistry, Wesleyan University, Middletown, Connecticut06459, United States
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Weber F, Ries M, Bauer C, Wick C, Pfaller S. On equilibrating non-periodic molecular dynamics samples for coupled particle-continuum simulations of amorphous polymers. FORCES IN MECHANICS 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.finmec.2022.100159] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
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Gharib-Zahedi MR, Koochaki A, Alaghemandi M. Tuning the polymer thermal conductivity through structural modification induced by MoS 2 bilayers. SOFT MATTER 2022; 18:6927-6933. [PMID: 36052767 DOI: 10.1039/d2sm00660j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
The present work refers to a physical and structural study of nanoconfined polymers in polymer-MoS2 nanocomposites as a function of MoS2-MoS2 interlayer distance. We applied reverse nonequilibrium molecular dynamics (RNEMD) simulations to investigate the thermal conductivity (λ) of polyamide oligomers confined by MoS2 bilayers. The results of this study indicate that thermal conductivity of polymer can be considerably enhanced when polymer chains are confined by MoS2 sheets, this behavior is more pronounced by charged surfaces. The presence of MoS2 surfaces leads to elongation as well as preferential alignment of polymer chains parallel to the MoS2 surfaces, which in turn results in higher order and denser packing of polymer content and hence larger thermal conductivity in comparison to the bulk polymer. Additionally, the analysis of the number of hydrogen bonds (HBs) in confined polymer chains suggests that a combined effect of the mentioned structural modification and enlarged values of HBs may cooperatively contribute to high polymer thermal conductivity, facilitating phonon transport. The results reported here suggest a significant way to design confined polymer-MoS2 composites for significantly improving thermal conductivity for a wide variety of applications.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Amin Koochaki
- Department of Chemical Sciences and Bernal Institute, University of Limerick, Limerick, Republic of Ireland
| | - Mohammad Alaghemandi
- Department of Computer Science, Metropolitan College, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA
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7
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Li X, Liu J, Zheng Z. Recent progress of elastomer–silica nanocomposites toward green tires:simulation and experiment. POLYM INT 2022. [DOI: 10.1002/pi.6454] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Xiu Li
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for the Green Preparation and Application of Functional Materials, Hubei Key Laboratory of Polymer Materials Hubei University Wuhan 430062 China
| | - Jun Liu
- Key Laboratory of Beijing City on Preparation and Processing of Novel Polymer Materials Beijing University of Chemical Technology Beijing 100029 China
| | - Zi‐Jian Zheng
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for the Green Preparation and Application of Functional Materials, Hubei Key Laboratory of Polymer Materials Hubei University Wuhan 430062 China
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Liu M, Huang H, Li S, Chen Z, Liu J, Zeng X, Zhang L. Versatilely Manipulating the Mechanical Properties of Polymer Nanocomposites by Incorporating Porous Fillers: A Molecular Dynamics Simulation Study. LANGMUIR : THE ACS JOURNAL OF SURFACES AND COLLOIDS 2022; 38:10150-10161. [PMID: 35948115 DOI: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.2c01090] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Polymer nanocomposites (PNCs) have been attracting myriad scientific and technological attention due to their promising mechanical and functional properties. However, there remains a need for an efficient method that can further strengthen the mechanical performance of PNCs. Here, we propose a strategy to design and fabricate novel PNCs by incorporating porous fillers (PFs) such as metal-organic frameworks with ultrahigh specific surface areas and tunable nanospaces to polymer matrices via coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulations. Three important parameters─the polymer chain stiffness (k), the interaction strength between the PF center and the end functional groups of polymer chains (εcenter end), and the PF weight fraction (w)─are systematically examined. First, attributed to the penetration of polymer chains into PFs at a strong εcenter end, the dimension of polymer chains such as the radius of gyration and the end-to-end distance increases greatly as a function of k compared to the case of the neat polymer system. The penetration of polymer chains is validated by characterizing the radial distribution function between end functional groups and filler centers, as well as the visualization of the snapshots. Also, the dispersion state of PFs tends to be good because of the chain penetration. Then, the glass transition temperature ratio of PNCs to that of the neat systems exhibits a maximum in the case of k = 5ε, indicating that the strongest interlocking between polymer chains and PFs occurs at intermediate chain stiffness. The polymer chain dynamics of PNCs decreases to a plateau at k = 5ε and then becomes stable, and the relative mobility to that of the neat system as well presents the same variation trend. Furthermore, the mechanical property under uniaxial deformation is thoroughly studied, and intermediates k, εcenter end, and w can bring about the best mechanical property. This is because of the robust penetration and interaction, which is confirmed by calculating the stress of every component of PNCs with and without end functional groups and PF centers as well as the nonbonded interaction energy change between different components. Finally, the optimal condition (k = 5.36ε, εcenter end = 5.29ε, and w = 6.54%) to design the PNC with superior mechanical behavior is predicted by Gaussian process regression, an active machine learning (ML) method. Overall, incorporating PFs greatly enhances the entanglements and interactions between polymer chains and nanofillers and brings effective mechanical reinforcements with lower filler weight fractions. We anticipate that this will provide new routes to the design of mechanically reinforced PNCs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Minghui Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Organic-Inorganic Composites, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029, People's Republic of China
- Beijing Engineering Research Center of Advanced Elastomers, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029, People's Republic of China
| | - Haifeng Huang
- CETC Big Data Research Institution Co. Ltd., Guiyang 550081, People's Republic of China
| | - Sai Li
- State Key Laboratory of Organic-Inorganic Composites, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029, People's Republic of China
- Beijing Engineering Research Center of Advanced Elastomers, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029, People's Republic of China
| | - Zhudan Chen
- Institute of Automation, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029, People's Republic of China
| | - Jun Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Organic-Inorganic Composites, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029, People's Republic of China
- Beijing Engineering Research Center of Advanced Elastomers, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029, People's Republic of China
| | - Xiaofei Zeng
- State Key Laboratory of Organic-Inorganic Composites, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029, People's Republic of China
| | - Liqun Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Organic-Inorganic Composites, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029, People's Republic of China
- Beijing Engineering Research Center of Advanced Elastomers, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029, People's Republic of China
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Gao K, Huang Y, Han Y, Gao Y, Dong C, Liu J, Li F, Zhang L. Designing Heterogeneous Surfaces of Two-Dimensional Nanosheets to Maximize Mechanical Reinforcing of Polymer Nanocomposites via Molecular Dynamics Simulation. Macromolecules 2022. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.macromol.2c00375] [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)
- Ke Gao
- Key Laboratory of Beijing City on Preparation and Processing of Novel Polymer Materials, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100013, People’s Republic of China
- Beijing Engineering Research Center of Advanced Elastomers, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100013, People’s Republic of China
- State Key Laboratory of Organic-Inorganic Composites, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100013, People’s Republic of China
| | - Yongdi Huang
- Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100013, People’s Republic of China
| | - Yue Han
- Key Laboratory of Beijing City on Preparation and Processing of Novel Polymer Materials, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100013, People’s Republic of China
| | - Yangyang Gao
- Key Laboratory of Beijing City on Preparation and Processing of Novel Polymer Materials, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100013, People’s Republic of China
- Beijing Engineering Research Center of Advanced Elastomers, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100013, People’s Republic of China
- State Key Laboratory of Organic-Inorganic Composites, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100013, People’s Republic of China
| | - Caibo Dong
- Institute of Automation, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100013, People’s Republic of China
| | - Jun Liu
- Key Laboratory of Beijing City on Preparation and Processing of Novel Polymer Materials, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100013, People’s Republic of China
- Beijing Engineering Research Center of Advanced Elastomers, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100013, People’s Republic of China
- State Key Laboratory of Organic-Inorganic Composites, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100013, People’s Republic of China
| | - Fanzhu Li
- Key Laboratory of Beijing City on Preparation and Processing of Novel Polymer Materials, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100013, People’s Republic of China
| | - Liqun Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Beijing City on Preparation and Processing of Novel Polymer Materials, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100013, People’s Republic of China
- Beijing Engineering Research Center of Advanced Elastomers, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100013, People’s Republic of China
- State Key Laboratory of Organic-Inorganic Composites, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100013, People’s Republic of China
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Li K, Li Z, Liu J, Wen S, Liu L, Zhang L. Designing the cross-linked network to tailor the mechanical fracture of elastomeric polymer materials. POLYMER 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.polymer.2022.124931] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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11
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Ezquerro CS, Aznar JMG, Laspalas M. Prediction of the structure and mechanical properties of polycaprolactone-silica nanocomposites and the interphase region by molecular dynamics simulations: the effect of PEGylation. SOFT MATTER 2022; 18:2800-2813. [PMID: 35319045 DOI: 10.1039/d1sm01794b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Polymer/silica (PS) nanocomposites are, among numerous combinations of inorganic/organic nanocomposites, one of the most important materials reported in the literature and have been employed in a wide variety of applications. Due to this great interest in the scientific and industry community, knowledge about their physiochemistry allows for a better understanding of their development and improvement. One area of interest found in biopolymers is silica, where silica nanoparticles can be used to increase their mechanical properties and give them higher opportunities to replace synthetic plastics. With this aim in mind, molecular dynamics (MD) simulations were used to predict the structure and mechanical properties of the interphase region and nanocomposite systems of polycaprolactone (PCL), a common poly(hydroxy acid) type biopolymer, reinforced with silica nanoparticles. Two types of nanoparticles were studied to assess the effect of PEGylation: hydroxyl (ungrafted) and polyethylene glycol (PEG) (grafted or PEGylated) functionalized silica. The interaction energy between the nanoparticle and the polymeric matrix was determined, showing an increase of the affinity between each component due to the PEGylation of the nanoparticle. Through the analysis of polymer density profiles, the structure and thickness of the interphase region were determined, and it was observed that PEGylation increased the interphase thickness from 10.80 Å to 13.04 Å while it decreased the peak and average polymer density of the interphase region. Using compressed and expanded molecular models of the neat PCL polymer, the mechanical properties of the interphase region were related to its density through an interpolation model, and mechanical property profiles were obtained, from which the average values of the Young's modulus, Poisson's ratio and shear modulus of the interphase region were calculated. Finally, the mechanical properties of the nanocomposites were determined by molecular mechanics simulations, showing that the silica nanoparticles increased the stiffness of the composite system to about 7-8% with respect to that of the neat polymer, having a 2.09% weight of bare silica or 2.82% weight of PEGylated silica. PEGylation did not show an additional effect on the overall mechanical properties. A mean field micromechanics model (Mori-Tanaka) corroborated the properties calculated for the interphase region using MD simulations. It was concluded that the PEGylation of the nanoparticle improved the affinity, and thus the dispersion, of the silica nanoparticles towards the PCL matrix, but with no further increase in the mechanical properties of the composite.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Manuel Laspalas
- Aragon Institute of Technology ITAINNOVA, María de Luna 7-8, Zaragoza 50018, Spain.
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Jain Y, Ries M, Pfaller S, Müller-Plathe F. Addressing Surface Effects at the Particle-Continuum Interface in a Molecular Dynamics and Finite Elements Coupled Multiscale Simulation Technique. J Chem Theory Comput 2022; 18:2375-2387. [PMID: 35229611 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jctc.1c00940] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Atomistic-to-continuum coupling methods are used to unravel molecular mechanisms of polymers and polymer composites. These multiscale techniques advantageously combine the computational efficiency of continuum approaches while keeping the accuracy of particle-based methods. The Capriccio method [Pfaller et al. Comput. Methods Appl. Mech. Eng. 2013, 260, 109-129.] is a well-proven multiscale technique, which connects finite elements (FE) with molecular dynamics (MD) in a partitioned-domain approach. A vital aspect of these multiscale methods is to provide physically sound boundary conditions to the particle domain suppressing any interface effects at the domain boundary occurring due to the coupling. These interfacial coupling artifacts still pose a significant problem, especially for amorphous polymers due to their highly irregular microstructure. We solve this problem by extending the particle-continuum interface by a layer of passive atoms which move with the outer continuum, thereby providing the missing interactions with a surrounding polymer bulk to the inner particle region. This solution allows us to successfully reproduce structural and mechanical properties obtained under conventional periodic boundary conditions, like density, stress, Young's modulus, and Poisson's ratio. Furthermore, we demonstrate the application of a nonaffine deformation by means of a simple bending test. In general, our revised method provides a framework to apply complex deformations for molecular scientists, while it allows the engineering community to examine challenging phenomena such as fracture behavior at a molecular level.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yash Jain
- Department of Chemistry, Technische Universität Darmstadt, 64287 Darmstadt, Germany
| | - Maximilian Ries
- Institute of Applied Mechanics, Friedrich-Alexander Universität, 91058 Erlangen, Germany
| | - Sebastian Pfaller
- Institute of Applied Mechanics, Friedrich-Alexander Universität, 91058 Erlangen, Germany
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13
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Atomistic-scale analysis of the deformation and failure of polypropylene composites reinforced by functionalized silica nanoparticles. Sci Rep 2021; 11:23108. [PMID: 34845272 PMCID: PMC8630061 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-02460-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2021] [Accepted: 11/12/2021] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Interfacial adhesion between polymer matrix and reinforcing silica nanoparticles plays an important role in strengthening polypropylene (PP) composite. To improve the adhesion strength, the surface of silica nanoparticles can be modified by grafted functional molecules. Using atomistic simulations, we examined the effect of functionalization of silica nanoparticles by hexamethyldisilazane (HMDS) and octyltriethoxysilane (OTES) molecules on the deformation and failure of silica-reinforced PP composite. We found that the ultimate tensile strength (UTS) of PP composite functionalized by OTES (28 MPa) is higher than that of HMDS (25 MPa), which is in turn higher than that passivated only by hydrogen (22 MPa). To understand the underlying mechanistic origin, we calculated the adhesive energy and interfacial strength of the interphase region, and found that both the adhesive energy and interfacial strength are the highest for the silica nanoparticles functionalized by OTES molecules, while both are the lowest by hydrogen. The ultimate failure of the polymer composite is initiated by the cavitation in the interphase region with the lowest mass density, and this cavitation failure mode is common for all the examined PP composites, but the cavitation position is dependent on the tail length of the functional molecules. The present work provides interesting insights into the deformation and cavitation failure mechanisms of the silica-reinforced PP composites, and the findings can be used as useful guidelines in selecting chemical agents for surface treatment of silica nanoparticles.
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Gao K, Zhao H, Wang Y, Wan H, Zhang Z, Chen Z, Hou G, Liu J, Zhang L. Heterogeneous Dynamics of Polymer Melts Exerted by Chain Loops Anchored on the Substrate: Insights from Molecular Dynamics Simulation. LANGMUIR : THE ACS JOURNAL OF SURFACES AND COLLOIDS 2021; 37:12290-12303. [PMID: 34636573 DOI: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.1c01678] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Understanding polymer-substrate interfacial dynamics at the molecular level is crucial for tailoring the properties of polymer ultrathin films (PUFs). Herein, through coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulation, the effect of length (Nloop) and rigidity (Kloop) of loop chains on the dynamics of linear chains is systematically explored, in which the loop chains are adsorbed on a solid substrate and the linear chains are covered on the loop chains. It is found that there is an optimal Kloop, which strongly confines the motion of the linear chains. Meanwhile, compared to increasing the rigidity of the loop chains, increasing the length of the loop chains can more effectively confine the motion of the linear chains. More interestingly, we observe that the mismatch of the length (ΔN) and rigidity (ΔK) between the loop and linear chains leads to dynamic asymmetry (ΔDc). The relationship between the ΔN, ΔK, and ΔDc are found to follow the mathematical expression of ΔDc ∼ (ΔN)α(ΔK)β, in which the values of α and β are around 4.58 and 0.83, separately. Remarkably, using the Gaussian process regression model, we construct a master curve of diffusion coefficient on the segmental and chain length scales of the linear chains as a function of Nloop and Kloop, which is further validated by our simulated prediction. In general, this work provides a fundamental understanding of polymer interfacial dynamics at the molecular level, enlightening some rational principles for manipulating the physical properties of PUFs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ke Gao
- Key Laboratory of Beijing City on Preparation and Processing of Novel Polymer Materials, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029, People's Republic of China
- Beijing Engineering Research Center of Advanced Elastomers, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029, People's Republic of China
| | - Hengheng Zhao
- Key Laboratory of Beijing City on Preparation and Processing of Novel Polymer Materials, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029, People's Republic of China
- Beijing Engineering Research Center of Advanced Elastomers, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029, People's Republic of China
| | - Yachen Wang
- Key Laboratory of Beijing City on Preparation and Processing of Novel Polymer Materials, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029, People's Republic of China
- Beijing Engineering Research Center of Advanced Elastomers, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029, People's Republic of China
| | - Haixiao Wan
- Key Laboratory of Beijing City on Preparation and Processing of Novel Polymer Materials, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029, People's Republic of China
- Beijing Engineering Research Center of Advanced Elastomers, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029, People's Republic of China
| | - Zhiyu Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Beijing City on Preparation and Processing of Novel Polymer Materials, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029, People's Republic of China
- Beijing Engineering Research Center of Advanced Elastomers, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029, People's Republic of China
| | - Zhudan Chen
- Institute of Automation, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029, People's Republic of China
| | - Guanyi Hou
- College of Chemistry and Materials Engineering, Beijing Technology and Business University, Beijing 100029, People's Republic of China
| | - Jun Liu
- Key Laboratory of Beijing City on Preparation and Processing of Novel Polymer Materials, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029, People's Republic of China
- Beijing Engineering Research Center of Advanced Elastomers, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029, People's Republic of China
- State Key Laboratory of Organic-Inorganic Composites, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029, People's Republic of China
| | - Liqun Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Beijing City on Preparation and Processing of Novel Polymer Materials, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029, People's Republic of China
- Beijing Engineering Research Center of Advanced Elastomers, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029, People's Republic of China
- State Key Laboratory of Organic-Inorganic Composites, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029, People's Republic of China
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15
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Mao Y, Gerisch A, Lang J, Böhm MC, Müller-Plathe F. Uncertainty Quantification Guided Parameter Selection in a Fully Coupled Molecular Dynamics-Finite Element Model of the Mechanical Behavior of Polymers. J Chem Theory Comput 2021; 17:3760-3771. [PMID: 33950670 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jctc.0c01348] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
The objective of investigating macroscopic polymer properties with a low computing cost and a high resolution has led to the development of efficient hybrid simulation tools. Systems generated from such simulation tools can fail in service if the effect of uncertainty of model inputs on its outputs is not accounted for. This work focuses on quantifying the effect of parametric uncertainty in our coarse-grained molecular dynamics-finite element coupling approach using uncertainty quantification. We consider uniaxial deformation simulations of a polystyrene sample at T = 100 K in our study. Parametric uncertainty is assumed to originate from parameters in the molecular dynamics model with a nonperiodic boundary (the force constant between polymer beads and anchor points, the number of anchor points, and the size of the surrounding dissipative particle dynamics domain) and a parameter to blend the energies of particles and continuum (weighting factor). Key issues that arise in uncertainty quantification are discussed on the basis of the quantities of interest including mass density, end-to-end distance, and radial distribution function. This work reveals the influence of key input parameters on the properties of polymer structure and facilitates the determination of those parameters in the application of this hybrid molecular dynamics-finite element approach.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yunfeng Mao
- State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resources Reuse, College of Environmental Science & Engineering, Tongji University, 200092 Shanghai, China.,Eduard-Zintl-Institut für Anorganische und Physikalische Chemie and Center of Smart Interfaces, Technische Universität Darmstadt, Alarich-Weiss-Strasse 4, 64287 Darmstadt, Germany
| | - Alf Gerisch
- Fachbereich Mathematik, Technische Universität Darmstadt, Dolivostrasse 15, 64293 Darmstadt, Germany
| | - Jens Lang
- Fachbereich Mathematik, Technische Universität Darmstadt, Dolivostrasse 15, 64293 Darmstadt, Germany
| | - Michael C Böhm
- Eduard-Zintl-Institut für Anorganische und Physikalische Chemie and Center of Smart Interfaces, Technische Universität Darmstadt, Alarich-Weiss-Strasse 4, 64287 Darmstadt, Germany
| | - Florian Müller-Plathe
- Eduard-Zintl-Institut für Anorganische und Physikalische Chemie and Center of Smart Interfaces, Technische Universität Darmstadt, Alarich-Weiss-Strasse 4, 64287 Darmstadt, Germany
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16
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Sattar MA. Interface Structure and Dynamics in Polymer‐Nanoparticle Hybrids: A Review on Molecular Mechanisms Underlying the Improved Interfaces. ChemistrySelect 2021. [DOI: 10.1002/slct.202100831] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Mohammad Abdul Sattar
- R&D Centre MRF Limited Chennai 600019 India
- Colloid and Interface Chemistry Laboratory Department of Chemistry Indian Institute of Technology Madras Chennai 600036 India
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17
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Caputo S, Hristov V, Nicola AD, Herbst H, Pizzirusso A, Donati G, Munaò G, Albunia AR, Milano G. Efficient Hybrid Particle-Field Coarse-Grained Model of Polymer Filler Interactions: Multiscale Hierarchical Structure of Carbon Black Particles in Contact with Polyethylene. J Chem Theory Comput 2021; 17:1755-1770. [PMID: 33577311 PMCID: PMC8023654 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jctc.0c01095] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2020] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
In the present study, we propose, validate, and give first applications for large-scale systems of coarse-grained models suitable for filler/polymer interfaces based on carbon black (CB) and polyethylene (PE). The computational efficiency of the proposed approach, based on hybrid particle-field models (hPF), allows large-scale simulations of CB primary particles of realistic size (∼20 nm) embedded in PE melts. The molecular detailed models, here introduced, allow a microscopic description of the bound layer, through the analysis of the conformational behavior of PE chains adsorbed on different surface sites of CB primary particles, where the conformational behavior of adsorbed chains is different from models based on flat infinite surfaces. On the basis of the features of the systems, an optimized version of OCCAM code for large-scale (up to more than 8 million of beads) parallel runs is proposed and benchmarked. The computational efficiency of the proposed approach opens the possibility of a computational screening of the bound layer, involving the optimal combination of surface chemistry, size, and shape of CB aggregates and the molecular weight distribution of the polymers achieving an important tool to address the polymer/fillers interface and interphase engineering in the polymer industry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefano Caputo
- Dipartimento
di Chimica e Biologia, Università
di Salerno, Via Giovanni Paolo II, 132, I-84084, Fisciano, Salerno, Italy
| | - Velichko Hristov
- Innovation
& Technology, Borealis Polyolefine GmbH, St.-Peter-Straße 25, 4021, Linz, Austria
| | - Antonio De Nicola
- Department
of Organic Materials Science, Yamagata University, 4-3-16 Jonan, Yonezawa, Yamagata-ken 992-8510, Japan
| | - Harald Herbst
- Innovation
& Technology, Borealis Polyolefine GmbH, St.-Peter-Straße 25, 4021, Linz, Austria
| | - Antonio Pizzirusso
- Dipartimento
di Chimica e Biologia, Università
di Salerno, Via Giovanni Paolo II, 132, I-84084, Fisciano, Salerno, Italy
| | - Greta Donati
- Dipartimento
di Chimica e Biologia, Università
di Salerno, Via Giovanni Paolo II, 132, I-84084, Fisciano, Salerno, Italy
| | - Gianmarco Munaò
- Dipartimento
di Scienze Matematiche e Informatiche, Scienze Fisiche e Scienze della
Terra, Università degli Studi di
Messina, Viale F. Stagno
d’Alcontres 31, 98166 Messina, Italy
| | | | - Giuseppe Milano
- Dipartimento
di Chimica e Biologia, Università
di Salerno, Via Giovanni Paolo II, 132, I-84084, Fisciano, Salerno, Italy
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18
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Yue T, Li S, Zhang Z, Chen Y, Zhang L, Liu J. Optimizing the heterogeneous network structure to achieve polymer nanocomposites with excellent mechanical properties. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2021; 23:4437-4452. [PMID: 33595012 DOI: 10.1039/d0cp06532c] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Designing and optimizing the polymer network structure at the molecular level to manipulate its mechanical properties are of great scientific significance. Although heterogeneous multi-network structures have been extensively investigated, little effort has been devoted to investigating heterogeneous single-networks with a well-defined interface. Herein, through coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulation, we successfully fabricated a heterogeneous single-network, which was divided into several regions with different crosslink densities. Firstly, we found that there is an optimal crosslink density ratio between high and low crosslink density regions to obtain the best stress-strain behavior. Secondly, the effect of the regularity of the network topology (by changing the distribution of two-phase regions) on mechanical properties was also studied. It was clearly observed that the polymer network showed better elastic response and mechanical properties as the distribution of two-phase regions became uniform. Finally, we investigated the effect of the selective distribution of nanoparticles (NPs) on mechanical properties by introducing NPs into a pre-designed multiphase network. Results showed that the selective distribution of NPs in the high crosslink density region had a more significant effect on the mechanical reinforcement. Generally, our simulated results may provide some guidelines to design polymer network structures to achieve high-performance polymer nanocomposites with excellent mechanical properties.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tongkui Yue
- Key Laboratory of Beijing City on Preparation and Processing of Novel Polymer Materials, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, People's Republic of China.
| | - Sai Li
- Key Laboratory of Beijing City on Preparation and Processing of Novel Polymer Materials, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, People's Republic of China.
| | - Zhiyu Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Beijing City on Preparation and Processing of Novel Polymer Materials, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, People's Republic of China.
| | - Yulong Chen
- College of Materials Science and Engineering, Zhejiang University of Technology, People's Republic of China
| | - Liqun Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Beijing City on Preparation and Processing of Novel Polymer Materials, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, People's Republic of China. and Beijing Engineering Research Center of Advanced Elastomers, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, People's Republic of China and State Key Laboratory of Organic-Inorganic Composites, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, People's Republic of China
| | - Jun Liu
- Key Laboratory of Beijing City on Preparation and Processing of Novel Polymer Materials, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, People's Republic of China. and Beijing Engineering Research Center of Advanced Elastomers, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, People's Republic of China and State Key Laboratory of Organic-Inorganic Composites, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, People's Republic of China
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19
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Chen T, Wu F, Chen Z, Huo J, Zhao Y, Zhang L, Zhou J. Computer simulation of zwitterionic polymer brush grafted silica nanoparticles to modify polyvinylidene fluoride membrane. J Colloid Interface Sci 2020; 587:173-182. [PMID: 33360890 DOI: 10.1016/j.jcis.2020.11.122] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2020] [Revised: 11/22/2020] [Accepted: 11/30/2020] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
Dissipative particle dynamics (DPD) simulations was adopted to investigate the modification of polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) membrane by adding zwitterionic polymer brush poly(sulfobetaine methacrylate)- tetraethyl orthosilicate (PSBMA-TEOS) grafted silicon nanoparticles (SNPs) to the casting solution. The effects of polymer concentration and grafting architecture (PSBMA length and SNPs grafting ratio) on membrane morphology are discussed. When the polymer concentration reaches 40%, part of the SNPs is embedded in the membrane; the optimal polymer concentration is around 25-30%. In the SNPs system with the grafting ratio of 1, some SNPs are eluted into solution during phase separation. Compared with different grafting architectures, M8-5, M10-5 and M12-5 system (Mx-y, where x represents the length of the zwitterionic polymer brush and y represents the grafting ratio of the silica nanoparticles) exhibited stable membrane morphologies. This work can provide guidance for the design and modification of organic-inorganic composite membrane and help understand the distribution of modified materials on the membrane surface.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tinglu Chen
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory for Green Chemical Product Technology, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510640, China
| | - Fenghe Wu
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory for Green Chemical Product Technology, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510640, China
| | - Zheng Chen
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory for Green Chemical Product Technology, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510640, China
| | - Jinhao Huo
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory for Green Chemical Product Technology, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510640, China
| | - Yue Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of NBC Protection for Civilian, Beijing 102205, China
| | - Lizhi Zhang
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory for Green Chemical Product Technology, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510640, China
| | - Jian Zhou
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory for Green Chemical Product Technology, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510640, China.
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20
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Multiscale Analysis of Elastic Properties of Nano-Reinforced Materials Exhibiting Surface Effects. Application for Determination of Effective Shear Modulus. JOURNAL OF COMPOSITES SCIENCE 2020. [DOI: 10.3390/jcs4040172] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
This work concerns a multiscale analysis of nano-reinforced heterogeneous materials. Such materials exhibit surface effects that must be taken into account in the homogenization procedure. In this study, a coherent imperfect interface model was employed to characterize the jumps of mechanical properties through the interface region between the matrix and the nanofillers. As the hypothesis of scale separation was adopted, a generalized self-consistent micromechanical scheme was employed for the determination of the homogenized elastic moduli. An explicit calculation for the determination of effective shear modulus is presented, together with a numerical application illustrating the surface effect. It is shown that the coherent imperfect interface model is capable of exploring the surface effect in nano-reinforced materials, as demonstrated experimentally in the literature.
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21
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Effect of the Nanoparticle Functionalization on the Cavitation and Crazing Process in the Polymer Nanocomposites. CHINESE JOURNAL OF POLYMER SCIENCE 2020. [DOI: 10.1007/s10118-020-2488-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
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22
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23
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Sattar M, Patnaik A. Role of Interface Structure and Chain Dynamics on the Diverging Glass Transition Behavior of SSBR-SiO 2-PIL Elastomers. ACS OMEGA 2020; 5:21191-21202. [PMID: 32875255 PMCID: PMC7450647 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.0c02929] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2020] [Accepted: 07/28/2020] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
Intermolecular interactions between the constituents of a polymer nanocomposite at the polymer-particle interface strongly affect the segmental mobility of polymer chains, correlated with their glass transition behavior, and are responsible for the improved dynamical viscoelastic properties. In this work, we emphasized on the evolution of characteristic interfaces and their dynamics in silica (SiO2 NP)-reinforced, solution-polymerized, styrene butadiene rubber (SSBR) composites, whose relative prevalence varied with the phosphonium ionic liquid (PIL) volume fraction, used as an interfacial modifier. The molecular origins of such interfaces were examined through systematic dielectric spectroscopy, molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, and dynamic-mechanical analyses. The PIL facilitated H-bonding, cation-π, surface-phenyl, and van der Waals interfacial interactions between SSBR and SiO2 NP, thereby regulating the polymer chain dynamics, orientation, and mean-square displacement. Specifically, the mass density profiles from MD simulations revealed the dynamic gradient of polymer chains in the interfacial region as a function of radial distance from the center of mass of the SiO2 NP surface. The results showed a structuring effect to result in well-resolved density peaks at specific radial distances with the tangential orientation of styrene monomers in the vicinity of the SiO2 NP surface. These domino effects highlighted strong interfacial interactions to have an indispensable effect on the viscoelastic performance and thermal motion of SSBR molecular chains, leading to a higher glass transition temperature (T g) by ∼15 K, validating the experimental data. More importantly, our results gave new insights into the fundamental understanding of the fact that the strength of intermolecular interactions induced by PIL at the polymer-particle interface is the key to control the α-relaxation dynamics and T g optimization, desired for specific applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohammad
Abdul Sattar
- Colloid
and Interface Chemistry Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Chennai600036, India
- R&D
Centre, MRF Limited, MRF Road, Tiruvottiyur, Chennai 600019, India
| | - Archita Patnaik
- Colloid
and Interface Chemistry Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Chennai600036, India
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24
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Material identification for improving the strength of silica/SBR interface using MD simulations. J Mol Model 2020; 26:234. [PMID: 32803360 DOI: 10.1007/s00894-020-04489-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2020] [Accepted: 07/27/2020] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
Comprehensive molecular dynamics simulations are conducted to identify material modifications which can improve strength and reduce hysteresis losses at the nanointerfaces formed between silica, silane coupling agent (SCA) and styrene-butadiene rubber (SBR), all of which are important ingredients of green tyres. Improving strength and reducing hysteresis losses at such interfaces are expected to reduce rolling resistance (RR), consequently lowering greenhouse emissions. Various modifications considered in this work include a variety of SBR blends, several SCA and surface occupancies of SCA on the silica surface. To tackle a large number of combinations possible and identify modifications which may improve the nature of the interfaces, a hierarchical computational framework is developed. The reduced sample space of such material modifications may be more amenable to comprehensive and computationally or experimentally expensive studies. It was found that some amino-based SCA in combination with certain blends of SBR can improve the interfaces strength and lower hysteresis losses, when compared to the commonly used bis[3-(triethoxysilyl)propyl]tetrasulfide (TESPT), which is a sulphur-based SCA.
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25
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Liu M, Li S, Fang Y, Chen Z, Alyas M, Liu J, Zeng X, Zhang L. Mechanical and Self-Healing Behavior of Matrix-Free Polymer Nanocomposites Constructed via Grafted Graphene Nanosheets. LANGMUIR : THE ACS JOURNAL OF SURFACES AND COLLOIDS 2020; 36:7427-7438. [PMID: 32508099 DOI: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.0c00971] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Through molecular dynamics (MD) simulation, the structure and mechanical properties of matrix-free polymer nanocomposites (PNCs) constructed via polymer-grafted graphene nanosheets are studied. The dispersion of graphene sheets is characterized by the radial distribution function (RDF) between graphene sheets. We observe that a longer polymer chain length Lg leads to a relatively better dispersion state attributed to the formation of a better brick-mud structure, effectively screening the van der Waals interactions between sheets. By tuning the interaction strength εend-end between end functional groups of grafted chains, we construct physical networks with various robustness characterized by the formation of the fractal clusters at high εend-end values. The effects of εend-end and Lg on the mechanical properties are examined, and the enhancement of the stress-strain behavior is observed with the increase of εend-end and Lg. Structural evolution during deformation is quantified by calculating the orientation of the graphene sheets and their distribution, the stress decomposition, and the size of the clusters formed between end groups and their distribution. Then, we briefly study the effects of time and temperature on the self-healing behavior of these unique PNCs in the rubbery state. Lastly, the self-healing kinetics is quantitatively analyzed. In general, this work can provide some rational guidelines to design and fabricate matrix-free PNCs with both excellent mechanical and self-healing properties.
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Affiliation(s)
- Minghui Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Organic-Inorganic Composites, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, 100029 Beijing, People's Republic of China
| | - Sai Li
- Beijing Engineering Research Center of Advanced Elastomers, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, 100029 Beijing, People's Republic of China
| | - Yue Fang
- Beijing Engineering Research Center of Advanced Elastomers, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, 100029 Beijing, People's Republic of China
| | - Zhudan Chen
- Institute of Automation, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, 100029 Beijing, People's Republic of China
| | - Maha Alyas
- Department of Chemical Engineering, City College of the City University of New York, New York, New York 10031, United States
| | - Jun Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Organic-Inorganic Composites, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, 100029 Beijing, People's Republic of China
- Beijing Engineering Research Center of Advanced Elastomers, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, 100029 Beijing, People's Republic of China
- Engineering Research Center of Elastomer Materials on Energy Conservation and Resources, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, 100029 Beijing, People's Republic of China
| | - Xiaofei Zeng
- State Key Laboratory of Organic-Inorganic Composites, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, 100029 Beijing, People's Republic of China
| | - Liqun Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Organic-Inorganic Composites, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, 100029 Beijing, People's Republic of China
- Beijing Engineering Research Center of Advanced Elastomers, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, 100029 Beijing, People's Republic of China
- Engineering Research Center of Elastomer Materials on Energy Conservation and Resources, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, 100029 Beijing, People's Republic of China
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26
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Zhang S, Leng X, Li Z, Han L, Li W, Li C, Lei L, Ma H, Li Y. Influence Mechanism of Composition and Topology on the Comprehensive Properties of Styrene-Isoprene-Butadiene Elastomers. Ind Eng Chem Res 2020. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.iecr.0c01632] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Songbo Zhang
- Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, School of Chemical Engineering, Dalian University, Dalian 116024, China
| | - Xuefei Leng
- Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, School of Chemical Engineering, Dalian University, Dalian 116024, China
| | - Ziwei Li
- Beijing Engineering Research Center of Advanced Elastomers, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029, China
| | - Li Han
- Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, School of Chemical Engineering, Dalian University, Dalian 116024, China
| | - Wei Li
- Shenyang Research Institute of Chemical Industry Co., Ltd., Shenyang 110000, China
| | - Chao Li
- Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, School of Chemical Engineering, Dalian University, Dalian 116024, China
| | - Lan Lei
- Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, School of Chemical Engineering, Dalian University, Dalian 116024, China
| | - Hongwei Ma
- Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, School of Chemical Engineering, Dalian University, Dalian 116024, China
| | - Yang Li
- Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, School of Chemical Engineering, Dalian University, Dalian 116024, China
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27
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Li H, Wu H, Li B, Gao Y, Zhao X, Zhang L. Molecular dynamics simulation of fracture mechanism in the double interpenetrated cross-linked polymer. POLYMER 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.polymer.2020.122571] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
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28
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Kempfer K, Devémy J, Dequidt A, Couty M, Malfreyt P. Multi-scale modeling of the polymer-filler interaction. SOFT MATTER 2020; 16:1538-1547. [PMID: 31939976 DOI: 10.1039/c9sm01959f] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
We report mesoscopic simulations of the interaction between a silica nanoparticle and cis-1,4-polybutadiene chains with realistic coarse-(CG) grained models. The CG models are obtained with a bottom-up Bayesian method based on trajectory matching of atomistic configurations of the system. We then investigate the structural properties of the interfacial region as a function of the grafting density and polymer chain length. We take advantage of the realistic CG models to explore the dynamics of the nanoparticle over a period of 10 microseconds. We show that the dynamics of the nanoparticle is affected by the grafting density and the polymer chain length of the grafted chains.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kevin Kempfer
- Université Clermont Auvergne, CNRS, SIGMA Clermont, Institut de Chimie de Clermont-Ferrand, F-63000 Clermont-Ferrand, France.
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29
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Zhang H, Ma R, Luo D, Xu W, Zhao Y, Zhao X, Gao Y, Zhang L. Understanding the cavitation and crazing behavior in the polymer nanocomposite by tuning shape and size of nanofiller. POLYMER 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.polymer.2019.122103] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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30
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Munaò G, De Nicola A, Müller-Plathe F, Kawakatsu T, Kalogirou A, Milano G. Influence of Polymer Bidispersity on the Effective Particle–Particle Interactions in Polymer Nanocomposites. Macromolecules 2019. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.macromol.9b01367] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Gianmarco Munaò
- Dipartimento di Chimica e Biologia, Università di Salerno, Via Giovanni Paolo II, 132, I-84084 Fisciano (SA), Italy
| | - Antonio De Nicola
- Department of Organic Materials Science, Yamagata University, 4-3-16 Jonan Yonezawa, Yamagata-ken 992-8510, Japan
| | - Florian Müller-Plathe
- Eduard-Zintl-Institut für Anorganische und Physikalische Chemie and Center of Smart Interfaces, Technische Universität Darmstadt, Alarich-Weiss-Str. 8, 64287 Darmstadt, Germany
| | - Toshihiro Kawakatsu
- Department of Physics, Tohoku University, Aoba, Aramaki, Aoba-ku, Sendai, Miyagi 980-8578, Japan
| | - Andreas Kalogirou
- Eduard-Zintl-Institut für Anorganische und Physikalische Chemie and Center of Smart Interfaces, Technische Universität Darmstadt, Alarich-Weiss-Str. 8, 64287 Darmstadt, Germany
| | - Giuseppe Milano
- Dipartimento di Chimica e Biologia, Università di Salerno, Via Giovanni Paolo II, 132, I-84084 Fisciano (SA), Italy
- Department of Organic Materials Science, Yamagata University, 4-3-16 Jonan Yonezawa, Yamagata-ken 992-8510, Japan
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31
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Extensive CGMD Simulations of Atactic PS Providing Pseudo Experimental Data to Calibrate Nonlinear Inelastic Continuum Mechanical Constitutive Laws. Polymers (Basel) 2019; 11:polym11111824. [PMID: 31698788 PMCID: PMC6918308 DOI: 10.3390/polym11111824] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2019] [Revised: 10/25/2019] [Accepted: 10/28/2019] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
In this contribution, we present a characterization methodology to obtain pseudo experimental deformation data from CG MD simulations of polymers as an inevitable prerequisite to choose and calibrate continuum mechanical constitutive laws. Without restriction of generality, we employ a well established CG model of atactic polystyrene as exemplary model system and simulate its mechanical behavior under various uniaxial tension and compression load cases. To demonstrate the applicability of the obtained data, we exemplarily calibrate a viscoelastic continuum mechanical constitutive law. We conclude our contribution by a thorough discussion of the findings obtained in the numerical pseudo experiments and give an outline of subsequent research activities. Thus, this work contributes to the field of multiscale simulation methods and adds a specific application to the body of knowledge of CG MD simulations.
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32
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Nanovoids in uniaxially elongated polymer network filled with polydisperse nanoparticles via coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulation and two-dimensional scattering patterns. POLYMER 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.polymer.2019.04.040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
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33
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Wan H, Gao K, Li S, Zhang L, Wu X, Wang X, Liu J. Chemical Bond Scission and Physical Slippage in the Mullins Effect and Fatigue Behavior of Elastomers. Macromolecules 2019. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.macromol.9b00128] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
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34
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Two-dimensional scattering patterns of coarse-grained molecular dynamics model of filled polymer gels during uniaxial expansion. POLYMER 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.polymer.2019.01.059] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
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35
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Trazkovich AJ, Wendt MF, Hall LM. Effect of Copolymer Sequence on Local Viscoelastic Properties near a Nanoparticle. Macromolecules 2019. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.macromol.8b02136] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Alex J. Trazkovich
- William G. Lowrie Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, The Ohio State University, 140 W 19th Ave., Columbus, Ohio 43210, United States
- Cooper Tire & Rubber Company, 701 Lima Ave., Findlay, Ohio 45840, United States
| | - Mitchell F. Wendt
- William G. Lowrie Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, The Ohio State University, 140 W 19th Ave., Columbus, Ohio 43210, United States
| | - Lisa M. Hall
- William G. Lowrie Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, The Ohio State University, 140 W 19th Ave., Columbus, Ohio 43210, United States
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36
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Effect of diameter distribution on two-dimensional scattering patterns of a rubber model filled with carbon black and silica NPs. POLYMER 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.polymer.2018.11.027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
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37
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Munaò G, Pizzirusso A, Kalogirou A, De Nicola A, Kawakatsu T, Müller-Plathe F, Milano G. Molecular structure and multi-body potential of mean force in silica-polystyrene nanocomposites. NANOSCALE 2018; 10:21656-21670. [PMID: 30256374 DOI: 10.1039/c8nr05135f] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/07/2023]
Abstract
We perform a systematic application of the hybrid particle-field molecular dynamics technique [Milano, et al., J. Chem. Phys., 2009, 130, 214106] to study interfacial properties and potential of mean force (PMF) for separating nanoparticles (NPs) in a melt. Specifically, we consider Silica NPs bare or grafted with Polystyrene chains, aiming to shed light on the interactions among free and grafted chains affecting the dispersion of NPs in the nanocomposite. The proposed hybrid models show good performances in catching the local structure of the chains, and in particular their density profiles, documenting the existence of the "wet-brush-to-dry-brush" transition. By using these models, the PMF between pairs of ungrafted and grafted NPs in Polystyrene matrix are calculated. Moreover, we estimate the three-particle contribution to the total PMF and its role in regulating the phase separation on the nanometer scale. In particular, the multi-particle contribution to the PMF is able to give an explanation of the complex experimental morphologies observed at low grafting densities. More in general, we propose this approach and the models utilized here for a molecular understanding of specific systems and the impact of the chemical nature of the systems on the composite final properties.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gianmarco Munaò
- Dipartimento di Chimica e Biologia, Università di Salerno, Via Giovanni Paolo II, 132, I-84084, Fisciano, SA, Italy.
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38
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Hagita K, Shudo Y, Shibayama M. Two-dimensional scattering patterns and stress-strain relation of elongated clay nano composite gels: Molecular dynamics simulation analysis. POLYMER 2018. [DOI: 10.1016/j.polymer.2018.08.047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
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39
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Li F, Zhang H, Li T, Liu J, Gao Y, Zhang L. EFFECT OF THE NANOFILLER SHAPE ON THE CONDUCTIVE NETWORK FORMATION OF POLYMER NANOCOMPOSITES VIA A COARSE-GRAINED SIMULATION. RUBBER CHEMISTRY AND TECHNOLOGY 2018. [DOI: 10.5254/rct.18.81546] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
ABSTRACT
It is very important to improve the electrical conductivity of polymer nanocomposites, which can widen their application. The effect of the nanofiller shape on the relationship between the nanofiller microstructure and the conductive probability of the nanofiller filled polymer nanocomposites (PNCs) has been investigated in detail by employing a coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulation. Four kinds of nanofiller shapes are considered: rod filler, Y filler, X filler, and sphere filler. First, the mean square radius of gyration gradually decreases from rod filler, Y filler, X filler, to sphere filler, which reflects the highest aspect ratio for rod filler. Meanwhile, the dispersion state of the nanofiller is relatively uniform in the matrix. The conductive probability (denoted by the formation probability of the conductive network) is adopted to stand for the conductive property. The results show that the conductive probability gradually decreases from rod filler, Y filler, X filler, to sphere filler, which is attributed to their gradually decreased size. In summary, the nanofiller shape affects the electric conductive property of PNCs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fanzhu Li
- Key Laboratory of Beijing City on Preparation and Processing of Novel Polymer Materials, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, 10029, People's Republic of China
| | - Huan Zhang
- Aerospace Research Institute of Materials and Processing Technology, Beijing, 100076, People's Republic of China
| | - Tiantian Li
- Key Laboratory of Beijing City on Preparation and Processing of Novel Polymer Materials, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, 10029, People's Republic of China
| | - Jun Liu
- Key Laboratory of Beijing City on Preparation and Processing of Novel Polymer Materials, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, 10029, People's Republic of China
| | - Yangyang Gao
- Key Laboratory of Beijing City on Preparation and Processing of Novel Polymer Materials, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, 10029, People's Republic of China
- Beijing Engineering Research Center of Advanced Elastomers, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, 10029, People's Republic of China
- State Key Laboratory of Organic-Inorganic Composites, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, 10029, People's Republic of China
- Aerospace Research Institute of Materials and Processing Technology, Beijing, 100076, People's Republic of China
| | - Liqun Zhang
- Beijing Engineering Research Center of Advanced Elastomers, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, 10029, People's Republic of China
- State Key Laboratory of Organic-Inorganic Composites, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, 10029, People's Republic of China
- Aerospace Research Institute of Materials and Processing Technology, Beijing, 100076, People's Republic of China
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40
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Furuya T, Yamamoto K, Koga T. Effects of Added Physical Cross-Linkers on Mechanical Properties of Polymer Networks. MACROMOL THEOR SIMUL 2018. [DOI: 10.1002/mats.201800042] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Tsutomu Furuya
- Department of Polymer Chemistry; Graduate School of Engineering; Kyoto University; Katsura Kyoto 615-8510 Japan
| | - Keita Yamamoto
- Department of Polymer Chemistry; Graduate School of Engineering; Kyoto University; Katsura Kyoto 615-8510 Japan
| | - Tsuyoshi Koga
- Department of Polymer Chemistry; Graduate School of Engineering; Kyoto University; Katsura Kyoto 615-8510 Japan
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41
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Karatrantos A, Koutsawa Y, Dubois P, Clarke N, Kröger M. Miscibility and Nanoparticle Diffusion in Ionic Nanocomposites. Polymers (Basel) 2018; 10:E1010. [PMID: 30960935 PMCID: PMC6403637 DOI: 10.3390/polym10091010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2018] [Revised: 08/31/2018] [Accepted: 09/05/2018] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
We investigate the effect of various spherical nanoparticles in a polymer matrix on dispersion, chain dimensions and entanglements for ionic nanocomposites at dilute and high nanoparticle loading by means of molecular dynamics simulations. The nanoparticle dispersion can be achieved in oligomer matrices due to the presence of electrostatic interactions. We show that the overall configuration of ionic oligomer chains, as characterized by their radii of gyration, can be perturbed at dilute nanoparticle loading by the presence of charged nanoparticles. In addition, the nanoparticle's diffusivity is reduced due to the electrostatic interactions, in comparison to conventional nanocomposites where the electrostatic interaction is absent. The charged nanoparticles are found to move by a hopping mechanism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Argyrios Karatrantos
- Materials Research and Technology, Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology, 5, Avenue des Hauts-Fourneaux, L-4362 Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg.
| | - Yao Koutsawa
- Materials Research and Technology, Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology, 5, Avenue des Hauts-Fourneaux, L-4362 Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg.
| | - Philippe Dubois
- Center of Innovation and Research in Materials and Polymers (CIRMAP), Laboratory of Polymeric and Composite Materials, University of Mons & Materia Nova Research Centre, Place du Parc 20, B-7000 Mons, Belgium.
| | - Nigel Clarke
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Sheffield, Sheffield S3 7RH, UK.
| | - Martin Kröger
- Polymer Physics, Department of Materials, ETH Zurich, Leopold-Ruzicka-Weg 4, CH-8093 Zurich, Switzerland.
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42
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Interface Characterization of Epoxy Resin Nanocomposites: A Molecular Dynamics Approach. FIBERS 2018. [DOI: 10.3390/fib6030054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
In polymer nanocomposites, the interface region between the matrix and the fillers has been identified as a key interaction region that strongly determines the properties of the final material. Determining its structure is crucial from several points of view, from modeling (i.e., properties prediction) to materials science (i.e., understanding properties/structure relationships). In the presented paper, a method for characterizing the interface region of polymer nanocomposites is described using molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. In particular, the structure of the polymer within the interface region together with its dimension in terms of thickness were analyzed through density profiles. Epoxy resin nanocomposites based on diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A (DGEBA) were studied using this approach, and the interface region with triple walled carbon nanotubes (TWCNT) and carbon fibers (CF) was characterized. The effect of carbon nanotube diameter, type of hardener, and effect of epoxy resin cross-linking degree on interface thickness were analyzed using MD models. From this analysis no general rule on the effect of these parameters on the interface thickness could be established, since in some cases overlapping effects between the analyzed parameters were observed, and each specific case needs to be analyzed independently in detail. Results show that the diameter has an impact on interface thickness, but this effect is affected by the cross-linking degree of the epoxy resin. The type of hardener also has a certain influence on the interface thickness.
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43
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Trazkovich AJ, Wendt MF, Hall LM. Effect of copolymer sequence on structure and relaxation times near a nanoparticle surface. SOFT MATTER 2018; 14:5913-5921. [PMID: 29972193 DOI: 10.1039/c8sm00976g] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
We simulate a simple nanocomposite consisting of a single spherical nanoparticle surrounded by coarse-grained polymer chains. The polymers are composed of two different monomer types that differ only in their interaction strengths with the nanoparticle. We examine the effect of adjusting copolymer sequence on the structure as well as the end-to-end vector autocorrelation, bond vector autocorrelation, and self-intermediate scattering function relaxation times as a function of distance from the nanoparticle surface. We show how the range and magnitude of the interphase of slowed dynamics surrounding the nanoparticle depend strongly on sequence blockiness. We find that, depending on block length, blocky copolymers can have faster or slower dynamics than a random copolymer. Certain blocky copolymer sequences lead to relaxation times near the nanoparticle surface that are slower than those of either homopolymer system. Thus, tuning copolymer sequence could allow for significant control over the nanocomposite behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alex J Trazkovich
- William G. Lowrie Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, The Ohio State University, USA.
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44
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Kumar SK, Ganesan V, Riggleman RA. Perspective: Outstanding theoretical questions in polymer-nanoparticle hybrids. J Chem Phys 2018; 147:020901. [PMID: 28711055 DOI: 10.1063/1.4990501] [Citation(s) in RCA: 109] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
This topical review discusses the theoretical progress made in the field of polymer nanocomposites, i.e., hybrid materials created by mixing (typically inorganic) nanoparticles (NPs) with organic polymers. It primarily focuses on the outstanding issues in this field and is structured around five separate topics: (i) the synthesis of functionalized nanoparticles; (ii) their phase behavior when mixed with a homopolymer matrix and their assembly into well-defined superstructures; (iii) the role of processing on the structures realized by these hybrid materials and the role of the mobilities of the different constituents; (iv) the role of external fields (electric, magnetic) in the active assembly of the NPs; and (v) the engineering properties that result and the factors that control them. While the most is known about topic (ii), we believe that significant progress needs to be made in the other four topics before the practical promise offered by these materials can be realized. This review delineates the most pressing issues on these topics and poses specific questions that we believe need to be addressed in the immediate future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sanat K Kumar
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Columbia University, New York, New York 10025, USA
| | - Venkat Ganesan
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Texas, Austin, Texas 78712, USA
| | - Robert A Riggleman
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, USA
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45
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Ren KX, Jia XM, Jiao GS, Chen T, Qian HJ, Lu ZY. Interfacial Properties and Hopping Diffusion of Small Nanoparticle in Polymer/Nanoparticle Composite with Attractive Interaction on Side Group. Polymers (Basel) 2018; 10:E598. [PMID: 30966632 PMCID: PMC6403981 DOI: 10.3390/polym10060598] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2018] [Revised: 05/21/2018] [Accepted: 05/25/2018] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
The diffusion dynamics of fullerene (C 60 ) in unentangled linear atactic polystyrene (PS) and polypropylene (PP) melts and the structure and dynamic properties of polymers in interface area are investigated by performing all-atom molecular dynamics simulations. The comparison of the results in two systems emphasises the influence of local interactions exerted by polymer side group on the diffusion dynamics of the nanoparticle. In the normal diffusive regime at long time scales, the displacement distribution function (DDF) follows a Gaussian distribution in PP system, indicating a normal diffusion of C 60 . However, we observe multiple peaks in the DDF curve for C 60 diffusing in PS melt, which indicates a diffusion mechanism of hopping of C 60 . The attractive interaction between C 60 and phenyl ring side groups are found to be responsible for the observed hopping diffusion. In addition, we find that the C 60 is dynamically coupled with a subsection of a tetramer on PS chain, which has a similar size with C 60 . The phenyl ring on PS chain backbone tends to have a parallel configuration in the vicinity of C 60 surface, therefore neighbouring phenyl rings can form chelation effect on the C 60 surface. Consequently, the rotational dynamics of phenyl ring and the translational diffusion of styrene monomers are found to be slowed down in this interface area. We hope our results can be helpful for understanding of the influence of the local interactions on the nanoparticle diffusion dynamics and interfacial properties in polymer/nanoparticle composites.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kai-Xin Ren
- State Key Laboratory of Supramolecular Structure and Materials, and Laboratory of Theoretical and Computational Chemistry, Institute of Theoretical Chemistry, Jilin University, Changchun 130023, China.
| | - Xiang-Meng Jia
- State Key Laboratory of Supramolecular Structure and Materials, and Laboratory of Theoretical and Computational Chemistry, Institute of Theoretical Chemistry, Jilin University, Changchun 130023, China.
| | - Gui-Sheng Jiao
- State Key Laboratory of Supramolecular Structure and Materials, and Laboratory of Theoretical and Computational Chemistry, Institute of Theoretical Chemistry, Jilin University, Changchun 130023, China.
| | - Tao Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Supramolecular Structure and Materials, and Laboratory of Theoretical and Computational Chemistry, Institute of Theoretical Chemistry, Jilin University, Changchun 130023, China.
| | - Hu-Jun Qian
- State Key Laboratory of Supramolecular Structure and Materials, and Laboratory of Theoretical and Computational Chemistry, Institute of Theoretical Chemistry, Jilin University, Changchun 130023, China.
| | - Zhong-Yuan Lu
- State Key Laboratory of Supramolecular Structure and Materials, and Laboratory of Theoretical and Computational Chemistry, Institute of Theoretical Chemistry, Jilin University, Changchun 130023, China.
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46
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Wan H, Shen J, Gao N, Liu J, Gao Y, Zhang L. Tailoring the mechanical properties by molecular integration of flexible and stiff polymer networks. SOFT MATTER 2018; 14:2379-2390. [PMID: 29503989 DOI: 10.1039/c7sm02282d] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Designing a multiple-network structure at the molecular level to tailor the mechanical properties of polymeric materials is of great scientific and technological importance. Through the coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulation, we successfully construct an interpenetrating polymer network (IPN) composed of a flexible polymer network and a stiff polymer network. First, we find that there is an optimal chain stiffness for a single network (SN) to achieve the best stress-strain behavior. Then we turn to study the mechanical behaviors of IPNs. The result shows that the stress-strain behaviors of the IPNs appreciably exceed the sum of that of the corresponding single flexible and stiff network, which highlights the advantage of the IPN structure. By systematically varying the stiffness of the stiff polymer network of the IPNs, optimal stiffness also exists to achieve the best performance. We attribute this to a much larger contribution of the non-bonded interaction energy. Last, the effect of the component concentration ratio is probed. With the increase of the concentration of the flexible network, the stress-strain behavior of the IPNs is gradually enhanced, while an optimized concentration (around 60% molar ration) of the stiff network occurs, which could result from the dominant role of the enthalpy rather than the entropy. In general, our work is expected to provide some guidelines to better tailor the mechanical properties of the IPNs made of a flexible network and a stiff network, by manipulating the stiffness of the stiff polymer network and the component concentration ratio.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haixiao Wan
- Key Laboratory of Beijing City on Preparation and Processing of Novel Polymer Materials, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, People's Republic of China.
| | - Jianxiang Shen
- Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, Jiaxing University, Jiaxing 314001, P. R. China
| | - Naishen Gao
- Key Laboratory of Beijing City on Preparation and Processing of Novel Polymer Materials, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, People's Republic of China.
| | - Jun Liu
- Key Laboratory of Beijing City on Preparation and Processing of Novel Polymer Materials, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, People's Republic of China. and Beijing Engineering Research Center of Advanced Elastomers, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, People's Republic of China and Engineering Research Center of Elastomer Materials on Energy Conservation and Resources, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, People's Republic of China and Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Soft Matter Science and Engineering, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, 100029 Beijing, People's Republic of China
| | - Yangyang Gao
- Key Laboratory of Beijing City on Preparation and Processing of Novel Polymer Materials, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, People's Republic of China.
| | - Liqun Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Beijing City on Preparation and Processing of Novel Polymer Materials, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, People's Republic of China. and Beijing Engineering Research Center of Advanced Elastomers, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, People's Republic of China and Engineering Research Center of Elastomer Materials on Energy Conservation and Resources, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, People's Republic of China and Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Soft Matter Science and Engineering, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, 100029 Beijing, People's Republic of China and State Key Laboratory of Organic-Inorganic Composites, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, 100029 Beijing, People's Republic of China
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47
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Ma C, Ji T, Robertson CG, Rajeshbabu R, Zhu J, Dong Y. Molecular insight into the Mullins effect: irreversible disentanglement of polymer chains revealed by molecular dynamics simulations. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2018; 19:19468-19477. [PMID: 28718482 DOI: 10.1039/c7cp01142c] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Abstract
The debate regarding the possible molecular origins of the Mullins effect has been ongoing since its discovery. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations were carried out to elucidate the underlying mechanism of the Mullins effect. For the first time, the key characteristics associated with the Mullins effect, including (a) the majority of stress softening occurring in the first stretch, (b) continuous softening with stress increase, (c) a permanent set, and (d) recovery with heat treatment, are captured by molecular modeling. It is discovered that the irreversible disentanglement of polymer chains is physically sufficient to interpret these key characteristics, providing molecular evidence for this long-controversial issue. Our results also reveal that filled polymers exhibit three distinct regimes, i.e., the polymer matrix, the interface, and the filler. When subjected to external strain, the polymer matrix suffers from excess deformation, indicating strong heterogeneity within the filled polymer, which offers molecular insight for the formulation of physics-based constitutive relations for filled polymers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chi Ma
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Akron, Akron, OH 44325, USA.
| | - Tuo Ji
- Intelligent Composites Laboratory, Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, The University of Akron, Akron, OH 44325, USA
| | | | - R Rajeshbabu
- Apollo Tyres Ltd, Oragadam, Sriperumbudur 602105, Tamilnadu, India
| | - Jiahua Zhu
- Intelligent Composites Laboratory, Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, The University of Akron, Akron, OH 44325, USA
| | - Yalin Dong
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Akron, Akron, OH 44325, USA.
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48
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Li Z, Liu J, Zhang Z, Gao Y, Liu L, Zhang L, Yuan B. Molecular dynamics simulation of the viscoelasticity of polymer nanocomposites under oscillatory shear: effect of interfacial chemical coupling. RSC Adv 2018; 8:8141-8151. [PMID: 35542003 PMCID: PMC9078516 DOI: 10.1039/c7ra13415k] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2017] [Accepted: 02/15/2018] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
In this work by adopting coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulation, we focus our attention on investigating the effect of the chemical coupling between polymer and nanoparticles (NPs) on the viscoelastic properties of polymer nanocomposites (PNCs). Firstly we examine the effect of the interfacial chemical coupling on the non-linear behavior, such as the change of the storage moduli, the loss moduli and the loss factor as a function of the strain amplitude. Besides the reinforcing effect contributed by the interfacial chemical interaction, a much smaller loss factor is also observed attributed to less molecular friction and dissipation. Meanwhile, the effects of temperature, frequency, and the interfacial physical interaction between NPs and polymers on the viscoelastic properties are also probed. To uncover the structural and dynamic effect of the interfacial chemical coupling, we calculate the radial distribution function of polymer chains around NPs, the content of the polymer beads in the first layer of the interfacial region under quiescent and dynamic conditions, the incoherent intermediate dynamic structure factor of the polymer beads, which are chemically or physically tethered to the NPs, and all the polymer beads of the system, the quantitative comparison of the mean relaxation time for different interfacial chemical coupling, and the mean-square displacement of the polymer chains. Lastly we analyze the change of the interfacial energy such as the physical and chemical energies during oscillatory shear. Through these analyses, we conclude that with the increase of the interfacial chemical coupling, the change extent of the interfacial physical interaction versus the periodic strain decreases, attributed to a much smaller adsorption–desorption reversible process. This can rationalize the much weaker non-linear behavior or the “Payne effect”. Based on these results, we anticipate that a better molecular-level understanding is provided on the effect of the interfacial coupling on the viscoelastic properties of PNCs. In this work by adopting coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulation, we focus attention on investigating the effect of the chemical coupling between polymer and nanoparticles (NPs) on the viscoelastic properties of polymer nanocomposites (PNCs).![]()
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Affiliation(s)
- Ziwei Li
- Key Laboratory of Beijing City on Preparation and Processing of Novel Polymer Materials
- Beijing University of Chemical Technology
- People's Republic of China
| | - Jun Liu
- Key Laboratory of Beijing City on Preparation and Processing of Novel Polymer Materials
- Beijing University of Chemical Technology
- People's Republic of China
- Beijing Engineering Research Center of Advanced Elastomers
- Beijing University of Chemical Technology
| | - Zhiyu Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Beijing City on Preparation and Processing of Novel Polymer Materials
- Beijing University of Chemical Technology
- People's Republic of China
| | - Yangyang Gao
- Key Laboratory of Beijing City on Preparation and Processing of Novel Polymer Materials
- Beijing University of Chemical Technology
- People's Republic of China
- Beijing Engineering Research Center of Advanced Elastomers
- Beijing University of Chemical Technology
| | - Li Liu
- Key Laboratory of Beijing City on Preparation and Processing of Novel Polymer Materials
- Beijing University of Chemical Technology
- People's Republic of China
- Beijing Engineering Research Center of Advanced Elastomers
- Beijing University of Chemical Technology
| | - Liqun Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Beijing City on Preparation and Processing of Novel Polymer Materials
- Beijing University of Chemical Technology
- People's Republic of China
- Beijing Engineering Research Center of Advanced Elastomers
- Beijing University of Chemical Technology
| | - Binbin Yuan
- The Second Research Institute of Civil Aviation Administration of China
- Chengdu 610000
- People's Republic of China
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49
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Xing JY, Lu ZY, Liu H, Xue YH. The selectivity of nanoparticles for polydispersed ligand chains during the grafting-to process: a computer simulation study. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2018; 20:2066-2074. [DOI: 10.1039/c7cp07818h] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
By constructing a grafting-to reaction model of polydispersed polymer chains to bind onto nanoparticles (NPs), we elucidate the changes of grafting density, polydispersity index and chain length distribution of grafted ligand chains as a dependence of the feeding polymer chains.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ji-Yuan Xing
- Laboratory of Theoretical and Computational Chemistry
- Institute of Theoretical Chemistry
- Jilin University
- Changchun 130023
- China
| | - Zhong-Yuan Lu
- Laboratory of Theoretical and Computational Chemistry
- Institute of Theoretical Chemistry
- Jilin University
- Changchun 130023
- China
| | - Hong Liu
- Laboratory of Theoretical and Computational Chemistry
- Institute of Theoretical Chemistry
- Jilin University
- Changchun 130023
- China
| | - Yao-Hong Xue
- School of Computer Science and Technology
- Changchun University of Science and Technology
- Changchun
- China
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50
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Wang W, Zhang Z, Davris T, Liu J, Gao Y, Zhang L, Lyulin AV. Simulational insights into the mechanical response of prestretched double network filled elastomers. SOFT MATTER 2017; 13:8597-8608. [PMID: 29109996 DOI: 10.1039/c7sm01794d] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
This paper deals with molecular-dynamics simulations of the mechanical properties of prestretched double network filled elastomers. To this end, we firstly validated the accuracy of this method, and affirmed that the produced stress-strain characteristics were qualitatively consistent with Lesser's experimental results on the prestretched tri-block copolymers with a competitive double network. Secondly, we investigated the effect of the crosslinking network ratio on the mechanical properties of the prestretched double network homopolymers under uniaxial tension. We found that the prestretched double network contributes greatly to the enhanced tensile stress and ultimate strength at fracture, as well as to the lower permanent set (the residual strain) and dynamic hysteresis loss, both parallel and perpendicular to the prestretching direction. Notably, though, an anisotropic behavior was observed: in the parallel direction, both the first and the second crosslinked networks bore the external force; whereas in the perpendicular direction, only the second crosslinked network was relevantly effective. Finally, the polymer nanocomposites with a prestretched double network exhibited tensile mechanical properties similar to those of the studied homopolymers with prestretched double networks. Summing up the results, it can be concluded that the incorporation of prestretched double networks with a specified crosslinking network ratio seems to be a promising method for manipulating the mechanical properties of elastomers and their nanocomposites, as well as for introducing anisotropy in their mechanical response.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenhui Wang
- Key Laboratory of Beijing City on Preparation and Processing of Novel Polymer Materials, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, People's Republic of China.
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