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Robertson M, Zhou Q, Ye C, Qiang Z. Developing Anisotropy in Self-Assembled Block Copolymers: Methods, Properties, and Applications. Macromol Rapid Commun 2021; 42:e2100300. [PMID: 34272778 DOI: 10.1002/marc.202100300] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2021] [Revised: 06/23/2021] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
Block copolymers (BCPs) self-assembly has continually attracted interest as a means to provide bottom-up control over nanostructures. While various methods have been demonstrated for efficiently ordering BCP nanodomains, most of them do not generically afford control of nanostructural orientation. For many applications of BCPs, such as energy storage, microelectronics, and separation membranes, alignment of nanodomains is a key requirement for enabling their practical use or enhancing materials performance. This review focuses on summarizing research progress on the development of anisotropy in BCP systems, covering a variety of topics from established aligning techniques, resultant material properties, and the associated applications. Specifically, the significance of aligning nanostructures and the anisotropic properties of BCPs is discussed and highlighted by demonstrating a few promising applications. Finally, the challenges and outlook are presented to further implement aligned BCPs into practical nanotechnological applications, where exciting opportunities exist.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark Robertson
- School of Polymer Science and Engineering, University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg, MS, 39406, USA
| | - Qingya Zhou
- State Key Laboratory for Modification of Chemical Fibers and Polymer Materials, College of Materials Science and Engineering, Donghua University, Shanghai, 201620, China
| | - Changhuai Ye
- State Key Laboratory for Modification of Chemical Fibers and Polymer Materials, College of Materials Science and Engineering, Donghua University, Shanghai, 201620, China
| | - Zhe Qiang
- School of Polymer Science and Engineering, University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg, MS, 39406, USA
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2
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Rheological Properties of Lamellae‐Forming Diblock Copolymers. ADVANCED THEORY AND SIMULATIONS 2021. [DOI: 10.1002/adts.202100097] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
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3
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Zhang H, Wang B, Wang G, Shen C, Chen J, Reiter G, Zhang B. Dewetting-Induced Alignment and Ordering of Cylindrical Mesophases in Thin Block Copolymer Films. Macromolecules 2020. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.macromol.0c01233] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Heng Zhang
- School of Materials Science & Engineering, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450001, P. R. China
| | - Binghua Wang
- School of Materials Science & Engineering, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450001, P. R. China
| | - Gang Wang
- School of Materials Science & Engineering, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450001, P. R. China
| | - Changyu Shen
- School of Materials Science & Engineering, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450001, P. R. China
| | - Jingbo Chen
- School of Materials Science & Engineering, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450001, P. R. China
| | - Günter Reiter
- Institute of Physics, University of Freiburg, 79104 Freiburg, Germany
| | - Bin Zhang
- School of Materials Science & Engineering, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450001, P. R. China
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4
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Chen S, Olson E, Jiang S, Yong X. Nanoparticle assembly modulated by polymer chain conformation in composite materials. NANOSCALE 2020; 12:14560-14572. [PMID: 32613987 DOI: 10.1039/d0nr01740j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Mixing nanoparticles into a strategically selected polymer matrix yields nanocomposites with well-controlled microstructures and unique properties and functions. The modulation of nanoparticle assembly by polymer chain conformation can play a dominant role in determining nanocomposite structures, yet such a physical mechanism remains largely unexplored. We hypothesize that highly ordered microdomains of rigid linear polymers provide a template for nanoparticle assembly into open fractal structures. We conducted mesoscopic computer simulations and physical experiments to elucidate how polymer chain conformation regulates the dynamic evolution of nanoparticle structures during the drying processing of polymer nanocomposite films. The evaporation of polymer-nanoparticle mixtures with varying chain stiffnesses was simulated using dissipative particle dynamics. The formation of distinguished nanoparticle assemblies as a result of matrix selection was further corroborated by probing nanoparticle aggregation in different polymer nanocomposite coatings. The results show that polymer conformation not only influences the dispersion states of individual particles (dispersed vs. aggregated), but also modulates the morphologies of large-scale assembly (globular vs. fractal). The emergence of nematically ordered polymer clusters when the chain rigidity is increased creates local solvent-rich "voids" that promote anisotropic particle aggregates, which then percolate into open fractal structures upon solvent evaporation. The nanoparticle dynamics also exhibits an intriguing non-monotonic behavior attributed to the transitions between the coupling and decoupling with polymer dynamics. The nanoparticle assembly morphologies obtained in simulations match well with the electron microscopy images taken in physical experiments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shensheng Chen
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Binghamton University, Binghamton, New York 13902, USA.
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5
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Pȩkalski J, Rządkowski W, Panagiotopoulos AZ. Shear-induced ordering in systems with competing interactions: A machine learning study. J Chem Phys 2020; 152:204905. [DOI: 10.1063/5.0005194] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- J. Pȩkalski
- Institute of Physical Chemistry, Polish Academy of Sciences, Kasprzaka 44/52, 01-224 Warszawa, Poland
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey 08544, USA
| | - W. Rządkowski
- Institute of Science and Technology Austria (IST Austria), Am Campus 1, 3400 Klosterneuburg, Austria
| | - A. Z. Panagiotopoulos
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey 08544, USA
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6
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Müller M. Process-directed self-assembly of copolymers: Results of and challenges for simulation studies. Prog Polym Sci 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.progpolymsci.2019.101198] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
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7
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Steinhaus A, Srivastva D, Nikoubashman A, Gröschel AH. Janus Nanostructures from ABC/B Triblock Terpolymer Blends. Polymers (Basel) 2019; 11:E1107. [PMID: 31262010 PMCID: PMC6680841 DOI: 10.3390/polym11071107] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2019] [Revised: 06/16/2019] [Accepted: 06/28/2019] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Lamella-forming ABC triblock terpolymers are convenient building blocks for the synthesis of soft Janus nanoparticles (JNPs) by crosslinking the B domain that is "sandwiched" between A and C lamellae. Despite thorough synthetic variation of the B fraction to control the geometry of the sandwiched microphase, so far only Janus spheres, cylinders, and sheets have been obtained. In this combined theoretical and experimental work, we show that the blending of polybutadiene homopolymer (hPB) into lamella morphologies of polystyrene-block-polybutadiene-block-polymethylmethacrylate (SBM) triblock terpolymers allows the continuous tuning of the polybutadiene (PB) microphase. We systematically vary the volume fraction of hPB in the system, and we find in both experiments and simulations morphological transitions from PB-cylinders to perforated PB-lamellae and further to continuous PB-lamellae. Our simulations show that the hPB is distributed homogeneously in the PB microdomains. Through crosslinking of the PB domain and redispersion in a common solvent for all blocks, we separate the bulk morphologies into Janus cylinders, perforated Janus sheets, and Janus sheets. These studies suggest that more complex Janus nanostructures could be generated from ABC triblock terpolymers than previously expected.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Steinhaus
- Physical Chemistry and Center for Nanointegration Duisburg-Essen (CENIDE), University Duisburg-Essen, 47057 Duisburg, Germany
| | - Deepika Srivastva
- Institute of Physics, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Staudingerweg 7, 55128 Mainz, Germany
| | - Arash Nikoubashman
- Institute of Physics, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Staudingerweg 7, 55128 Mainz, Germany.
| | - André H Gröschel
- Physical Chemistry and Center for Nanointegration Duisburg-Essen (CENIDE), University Duisburg-Essen, 47057 Duisburg, Germany.
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8
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Alshammasi MS, Escobedo FA. Correlation between morphology and anisotropic transport properties of diblock copolymers melts. SOFT MATTER 2019; 15:851-859. [PMID: 30548034 DOI: 10.1039/c8sm02095g] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Molecular simulations of coarse-grained diblock copolymers (DBP) were conducted to study the effect of segregation strength and morphology on transport properties. It was found that in the strong segregation limit (i.e., high χN, where χ is the Flory-Huggins parameter and N is the degree of polymerization), the presence of the DBP interfaces imposes topological constraints similar to those of entanglements as manifested in the rheological signature of the polymer (i.e., a plateau modulus). Furthermore, compared to the behavior of isotropic melts, the crossover from Rouse to reptation scaling of the self-diffusion coefficient (D) parallel to the DBP interface takes place at a smaller N, an effect that depends on temperature and is more pronounced in the Lamellae morphology than in the hexagonal cylinder morphology. Additionally, it is shown that for an entangled melt (i.e., N ≫ Ne where Ne is the entanglement length) block retraction is instrumental for chains to diffuse parallel to the interface of lamellar layers. Lastly, it is found that the anisotropic viscosity of different morphologies is mostly affected by the orientation of the chains relative to the shear flow direction, exhibiting reduced values when chains align in the neutral or flow directions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohammed Suliman Alshammasi
- Robert Frederick Smith School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA.
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9
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Chen Y, Xu Q, Jin Y, Qian X, Ma R, Liu J, Yang D. Shear-induced parallel and transverse alignments of cylinders in thin films of diblock copolymers. SOFT MATTER 2018; 14:6635-6647. [PMID: 29999081 DOI: 10.1039/c8sm00833g] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Coarse-grained Langevin dynamics simulations were performed to investigate the alignment behavior of monolayer films of cylinder-forming diblock copolymers under steady shear, a structure of significant importance for many technical applications such as nanopatterning. The influences of shear conditions, the interactions involved in the films, and the initial morphology of the cylinder-forming phase were examined. Our results showed that above a critical shear rate, the cylinders can align either along the shearing direction or transverse (log-rolling) to the shearing direction depending on the relative strength between the interchain attraction in the cylinders (εAA) and the surface attraction of the confining walls with the film (εBW). To understand the underlying mechanism, the microscopic properties of the films under shear were systematically investigated. It was found that at low εAA/εBW, the majority blocks of the diblock polymer that are adsorbed on the confining walls prefer to move synchronously with the walls, inducing the cylinder-forming blocks to align along the flow direction. When εAA/εBW is above a threshold value, a strong attraction between the cylinder-forming blocks restrains their movement during shear, leading to the log-rolling motions of the cylinders. To predict the threshold εAA/εBW, we developed an approach based on equilibrium thermodynamics data and found good agreement with our shear simulations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yulong Chen
- College of Materials Science and Engineering, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou 310014, China.
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10
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Grundy LS, Lee VE, Li N, Sosa C, Mulhearn WD, Liu R, Register RA, Nikoubashman A, Prud'homme RK, Panagiotopoulos AZ, Priestley RD. Rapid Production of Internally Structured Colloids by Flash Nanoprecipitation of Block Copolymer Blends. ACS NANO 2018; 12:4660-4668. [PMID: 29723470 DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.8b01260] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
Colloids with internally structured geometries have shown great promise in applications ranging from biosensors to optics to drug delivery, where the internal particle structure is paramount to performance. The growing demand for such nanomaterials necessitates the development of a scalable processing platform for their production. Flash nanoprecipitation (FNP), a rapid and inherently scalable colloid precipitation technology, is used to prepare internally structured colloids from blends of block copolymers and homopolymers. As revealed by a combination of experiments and simulations, colloids prepared from different molecular weight diblock copolymers adopt either an ordered lamellar morphology consisting of concentric shells or a disordered lamellar morphology when chain dynamics are sufficiently slow to prevent defect annealing during solvent exchange. Blends of homopolymer and block copolymer in the feed stream generate more complex internally structured colloids, such as those with hierarchically structured Janus and patchy morphologies, due to additional phase separation and kinetic trapping effects. The ability of the FNP process to generate such a wide range of morphologies using a simple and scalable setup provides a pathway to manufacturing internally structured colloids on an industrial scale.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lorena S Grundy
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering , Princeton University , Princeton , New Jersey 08544 , United States
| | - Victoria E Lee
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering , Princeton University , Princeton , New Jersey 08544 , United States
| | - Nannan Li
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering , Princeton University , Princeton , New Jersey 08544 , United States
| | - Chris Sosa
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering , Princeton University , Princeton , New Jersey 08544 , United States
| | - William D Mulhearn
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering , Princeton University , Princeton , New Jersey 08544 , United States
| | - Rui Liu
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Advanced Civil Engineering Materials, School of Materials Science and Engineering and Institute for Advanced Study , Tongji University , Shanghai 201804 , China
| | - Richard A Register
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering , Princeton University , Princeton , New Jersey 08544 , United States
- Princeton Institute for the Science and Technology of Materials , Princeton University , Princeton , New Jersey 08544 , United States
| | - Arash Nikoubashman
- Institute of Physics , Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz , Staudingerweg 7 , 55128 Mainz , Germany
| | - Robert K Prud'homme
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering , Princeton University , Princeton , New Jersey 08544 , United States
| | - Athanassios Z Panagiotopoulos
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering , Princeton University , Princeton , New Jersey 08544 , United States
| | - Rodney D Priestley
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering , Princeton University , Princeton , New Jersey 08544 , United States
- Princeton Institute for the Science and Technology of Materials , Princeton University , Princeton , New Jersey 08544 , United States
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11
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Heck M, Schneider L, Müller M, Wilhelm M. Diblock Copolymers with Similar Glass Transition Temperatures in Both Blocks for Comparing Shear Orientation Processes with DPD Computer Simulations. MACROMOL CHEM PHYS 2018. [DOI: 10.1002/macp.201700559] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Matthias Heck
- Institute for Technical Chemistry and Polymer Chemistry; Karlsruhe Institute for Technology; 76131 Karlsruhe Germany
| | - Ludwig Schneider
- Institute for Theoretical Physics; Georg-August-University Göttingen; 37077 Göttingen Germany
| | - Marcus Müller
- Institute for Theoretical Physics; Georg-August-University Göttingen; 37077 Göttingen Germany
| | - Manfred Wilhelm
- Institute for Technical Chemistry and Polymer Chemistry; Karlsruhe Institute for Technology; 76131 Karlsruhe Germany
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12
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Pinge S, Lin G, Baskaran D, Padmanaban M, Joo YL. Designing an ordered template of cylindrical arrays based on a simple flat plate confinement of block copolymers: a coarse-grained molecular dynamics study. SOFT MATTER 2018; 14:597-613. [PMID: 29265154 DOI: 10.1039/c7sm02015e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
In this paper we study the morphology formed by asymmetric di-block copolymers (di-BCPs) under various confinements using a large-scale coarse-grained molecular dynamics (CGMD) framework. We start with a simple flat plate confinement with the bottom and the top substrate attractive to the minor phase. Studies at a lower confinement length of 17σ have shown that there exists a critical chain length above which a transition from a three-domain morphology to a two-domain morphology is observed. Increasing the confinement length to 42σ, where the chains experience considerably lower confinement effects, also revealed the existence of a critical chain length - a transition from a multi-domain morphology (>3) to a three-domain morphology. The results obtained from the flat plate study with two confinement dimensions were used to design a topography of silica pillars with and without a bottom substrate to form ordered cylindrical BCP arrays. The least and highest radial separation lengths between adjacent pillars are kept at 17σ and 42σ, respectively. A direct correlation was observed in the number of continuous micro-domains of the maximum and minimum confinement dimensions with the 17σ and 42σ flat plate trials. With the optimum chain length employed, the surfaces with affinity to the minor phase can direct the BCP self-assembly to form ordered arrays of minor phase cylinders. The current study thus elucidates a useful tool to predict the morphology formed in an intricate nano-lithographic template by using simple length scale arguments derived from a flat plate confinement study.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shubham Pinge
- Robert Frederick Smith School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA.
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13
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Koski JP, Ferrier RC, Krook NM, Chao H, Composto RJ, Frischknecht AL, Riggleman RA. Comparison of Field-Theoretic Approaches in Predicting Polymer Nanocomposite Phase Behavior. Macromolecules 2017. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.macromol.7b01731] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Jason P. Koski
- Sandia National
Laboratories, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87185, United States
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14
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Nikoubashman A, Howard MP. Equilibrium Dynamics and Shear Rheology of Semiflexible Polymers in Solution. Macromolecules 2017. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.macromol.7b01876] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/30/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Arash Nikoubashman
- Institute of Physics, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Staudingerweg 7, 55128 Mainz, Germany
| | - Michael P. Howard
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey 08544, United States
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15
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Mountain RD, Hatch HW, Shen VK. Molecular Dynamics Simulation of Trimer Self-Assembly Under Shear. FLUID PHASE EQUILIBRIA 2017; 440:87-94. [PMID: 28736479 PMCID: PMC5514611 DOI: 10.1016/j.fluid.2017.02.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
The self-assembly of patchy trimer particles consisting of one attractive site and two repulsive sites is investigated with nonequilibrium molecular dynamics simulations in the presence of a velocity gradient, as would be produced by the application of a shear stress on the system. As shear is increased, globular-shaped micellar clusters increase in size and become more elongated. The globular clusters are also more stable at higher temperatures in the presence of shear than at equilibrium. These results help to increase our understanding of the effect of shear on self-assembly for a variety of applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raymond D Mountain
- Chemical Informatics Research Group, Chemical Sciences Division, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, Maryland 20899-8380, USA
| | - Harold W Hatch
- Chemical Informatics Research Group, Chemical Sciences Division, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, Maryland 20899-8380, USA
| | - Vincent K Shen
- Chemical Informatics Research Group, Chemical Sciences Division, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, Maryland 20899-8380, USA
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16
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Xu P, Lin J, Wang L, Zhang L. Shear flow behaviors of rod-coil diblock copolymers in solution: A nonequilibrium dissipative particle dynamics simulation. J Chem Phys 2017. [DOI: 10.1063/1.4982938] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Pengxiang Xu
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Advanced Polymeric Materials, State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, Key Laboratory for Ultrafine Materials of Ministry of Education, School of Materials Science and Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai 200237, China
| | - Jiaping Lin
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Advanced Polymeric Materials, State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, Key Laboratory for Ultrafine Materials of Ministry of Education, School of Materials Science and Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai 200237, China
| | - Liquan Wang
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Advanced Polymeric Materials, State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, Key Laboratory for Ultrafine Materials of Ministry of Education, School of Materials Science and Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai 200237, China
| | - Liangshun Zhang
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Advanced Polymeric Materials, State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, Key Laboratory for Ultrafine Materials of Ministry of Education, School of Materials Science and Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai 200237, China
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17
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Mahynski NA, Blanco MA, Errington JR, Shen VK. Predicting low-temperature free energy landscapes with flat-histogram Monte Carlo methods. J Chem Phys 2017; 146:074101. [PMID: 28228029 DOI: 10.1063/1.4975331] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/30/2023] Open
Abstract
We present a method for predicting the free energy landscape of fluids at low temperatures from flat-histogram grand canonical Monte Carlo simulations performed at higher ones. We illustrate our approach for both pure and multicomponent systems using two different sampling methods as a demonstration. This allows us to predict the thermodynamic behavior of systems which undergo both first order and continuous phase transitions upon cooling using simulations performed only at higher temperatures. After surveying a variety of different systems, we identify a range of temperature differences over which the extrapolation of high temperature simulations tends to quantitatively predict the thermodynamic properties of fluids at lower ones. Beyond this range, extrapolation still provides a reasonably well-informed estimate of the free energy landscape; this prediction then requires less computational effort to refine with an additional simulation at the desired temperature than reconstruction of the surface without any initial estimate. In either case, this method significantly increases the computational efficiency of these flat-histogram methods when investigating thermodynamic properties of fluids over a wide range of temperatures. For example, we demonstrate how a binary fluid phase diagram may be quantitatively predicted for many temperatures using only information obtained from a single supercritical state.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nathan A Mahynski
- Chemical Sciences Division, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, Maryland 20899-8320, USA
| | - Marco A Blanco
- Chemical Sciences Division, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, Maryland 20899-8320, USA
| | - Jeffrey R Errington
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, Buffalo, New York 14260-4200, USA
| | - Vincent K Shen
- Chemical Sciences Division, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, Maryland 20899-8320, USA
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18
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Chen Y, Liu J, Liu L, Han H, Xu Q, Qian X. Tailoring the alignment of string-like nanoparticle assemblies in a functionalized polymer matrix via steady shear. RSC Adv 2017. [DOI: 10.1039/c6ra28060a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
This work reports the steady shear induced aligning behaviour of nanoparticle strings in a functionalized polymer matrix.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yulong Chen
- College of Materials Science and Engineering
- Zhejiang University of Technology
- Hangzhou 310014
- China
| | - Jun Liu
- Beijing Engineering Research Center of Advanced Elastomers
- Beijing University of Chemical Technology
- Beijing 100029
- China
| | - Li Liu
- Beijing Engineering Research Center of Advanced Elastomers
- Beijing University of Chemical Technology
- Beijing 100029
- China
| | - Huanre Han
- College of Materials Science and Engineering
- Zhejiang University of Technology
- Hangzhou 310014
- China
| | - Qian Xu
- College of Materials Science and Engineering
- Zhejiang University of Technology
- Hangzhou 310014
- China
| | - Xin Qian
- College of Materials Science and Engineering
- Zhejiang University of Technology
- Hangzhou 310014
- China
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19
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Chao H, Koski J, Riggleman RA. Solvent vapor annealing in block copolymer nanocomposite films: a dynamic mean field approach. SOFT MATTER 2016; 13:239-249. [PMID: 27320693 DOI: 10.1039/c6sm00770h] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
Polymer nanocomposites are an important class of materials due to the nanoparticles' ability to impart functionality not commonly found in a polymer matrix, such as electrical conductivity or tunable optical properties. While the equilibrium properties of polymer nanocomposites can be treated using numerous theoretical and simulation approaches, in experiments the effects of processing and kinetic traps are significant and thus critical for understanding the structure and the functionality of polymer nanocomposites. However, simulation methods that can efficiently predict kinetically trapped and metastable structures of polymer nanocomposites are currently not common. This is particularly important in inhomogeneous polymers such as block copolymers, where techniques such as solvent vapor annealing are commonly employed to improve the long-range order. In this work, we introduce a dynamic mean field theory that is capable of predicting the result of processing the structure of polymer nanocomposites, and we demonstrate that our method accurately predicts the equilibrium properties of a model system more efficiently than a particle-based model. We subsequently use our method to predict the structure of block copolymer thin films with grafted nanoparticles after solvent annealing, where we find that the final distribution of the grafted nanoparticles can be controlled by varying the solvent evaporation rate. The extent to which the solvent evaporation rate can affect the final nanoparticle distribution in the film depends on the grafting density and the length of the grafted chains. Furthermore, the effects of the solvent evaporation rate can be anticipated from the equilibrium nanoparticle distribution in the swollen and dry states.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huikuan Chao
- Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA.
| | - Jason Koski
- Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA.
| | - Robert A Riggleman
- Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA.
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20
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Majewski PW, Yager KG. Rapid ordering of block copolymer thin films. JOURNAL OF PHYSICS. CONDENSED MATTER : AN INSTITUTE OF PHYSICS JOURNAL 2016; 28:403002. [PMID: 27537062 DOI: 10.1088/0953-8984/28/40/403002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
Block-copolymers self-assemble into diverse morphologies, where nanoscale order can be finely tuned via block architecture and processing conditions. However, the ultimate usage of these materials in real-world applications may be hampered by the extremely long thermal annealing times-hours or days-required to achieve good order. Here, we provide an overview of the fundamentals of block-copolymer self-assembly kinetics, and review the techniques that have been demonstrated to influence, and enhance, these ordering kinetics. We discuss the inherent tradeoffs between oven annealing, solvent annealing, microwave annealing, zone annealing, and other directed self-assembly methods; including an assessment of spatial and temporal characteristics. We also review both real-space and reciprocal-space analysis techniques for quantifying order in these systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pawel W Majewski
- Center for Functional Nanomaterials, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, NY, USA. Department of Chemistry, University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland
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21
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Zhang H, Li D, Pei L, Zhang L, Wang F. The Stability of the Micelle Formed by Chain Branch Surfactants and Polymer Under Salt and Shear Force: Insight from Dissipative Particle Dynamics Simulation. J DISPER SCI TECHNOL 2016. [DOI: 10.1080/01932691.2015.1042584] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
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22
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Ramírez-Hernández A, Peters BL, Andreev M, Schieber JD, de Pablo JJ. A multichain polymer slip-spring model with fluctuating number of entanglements for linear and nonlinear rheology. J Chem Phys 2015; 143:243147. [DOI: 10.1063/1.4936878] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Abelardo Ramírez-Hernández
- Materials Science Division, Argonne National Laboratory, 9700 South Cass Avenue, Argonne, Illinois 60439, USA
- Institute for Molecular Engineering, The University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637, USA
| | - Brandon L. Peters
- Institute for Molecular Engineering, The University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637, USA
| | - Marat Andreev
- Institute for Molecular Engineering, The University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637, USA
| | - Jay D. Schieber
- Institute for Molecular Engineering, The University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637, USA
| | - Juan J. de Pablo
- Materials Science Division, Argonne National Laboratory, 9700 South Cass Avenue, Argonne, Illinois 60439, USA
- Institute for Molecular Engineering, The University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637, USA
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23
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Affiliation(s)
- Vaidyanathan Sethuraman
- Department
of Chemical Engineering, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712, United States
| | - Dylan Kipp
- Department
of Chemical Engineering, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712, United States
| | - Venkat Ganesan
- Department
of Chemical Engineering, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712, United States
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24
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Majewski PW, Yager KG. Latent Alignment in Pathway-Dependent Ordering of Block Copolymer Thin Films. NANO LETTERS 2015; 15:5221-8. [PMID: 26161969 DOI: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.5b01463] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
Block copolymers spontaneously form well-defined nanoscale morphologies during thermal annealing. Yet, the structures one obtains can be influenced by nonequilibrium effects, including processing history or pathway-dependent assembly. Here, we explore various pathways for ordering of block copolymer thin films, using oven-annealing, as well as newly disclosed methods for rapid photothermal annealing and photothermal shearing. We report the discovery of an efficient pathway for ordering self-assembled films: ultrarapid shearing of as-cast films induces "latent alignment" in the disordered morphology. Subsequent thermal processing can then develop this directly into a uniaxially aligned morphology with low defect density. This deeper understanding of pathway-dependence may have broad implications in self-assembly.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pawel W Majewski
- Center for Functional Nanomaterials, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, New York 11973, United States
| | - Kevin G Yager
- Center for Functional Nanomaterials, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, New York 11973, United States
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25
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Davis RL, Michal BT, Chaikin PM, Register RA. Progression of Alignment in Thin Films of Cylinder-Forming Block Copolymers upon Shearing. Macromolecules 2015. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.macromol.5b01028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Raleigh L. Davis
- Department
of Chemical and Biological Engineering and Princeton Institute for
the Science and Technology of Materials, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey 08544, United States
| | - Brian T. Michal
- Department
of Chemical and Biological Engineering and Princeton Institute for
the Science and Technology of Materials, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey 08544, United States
| | - Paul M. Chaikin
- Department
of Physics, New York University, New York, New York 10003, United States
| | - Richard A. Register
- Department
of Chemical and Biological Engineering and Princeton Institute for
the Science and Technology of Materials, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey 08544, United States
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26
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Affiliation(s)
- Pawel W. Majewski
- Center for Functional Nanomaterials, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, New York 11973, United States
| | - Kevin G. Yager
- Center for Functional Nanomaterials, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, New York 11973, United States
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