Enhanced nanoflow behaviors of polymer melts using dispersed nanoparticles and ultrasonic vibration

Polymer melt flow through nanochannels: from theory and fabrication to application

This short review presents the theory, fabrication, and application of polymer melts through nanochannels.

The role of a nanoparticle monolayer on the flow of polymer melts in nanochannels

Understanding and controlling the flow properties of polymer melts at the nanoscale is of great relevance in fundamental research and in a variety of applications. In the present study we have analysed experimentally the flow behaviour of polymers in nanochannels of varying roughness, produced by gold nanoparticle absorption. The experimental results show that nanochannel roughness has a significant influence on surface energy and on the flow behaviour of polymer melts. These results provide fundamental information on the preparation of one-dimensional polymer nanochannels applicable in both micro- and nano-injection technology.

Poly(3-hexylthiophene) nanotubes with tunable aspect ratios and charge transport properties

Regioregular poly(3-hexylthiophene) (RR-P3HT) nanotubes (200 nm in diameter) with tunable aspect ratios from 25 to 300 were prepared using a polymer melt wetting technique. Aspect-ratio tunability was achieved by controlling the wetting behavior of RR-P3HT melts in a template. The crystallinity and chain orientation of RR-P3HT were studied by grazing incidence X-ray diffraction, wide-angle X-ray diffraction, and polarized photoluminescence spectroscopy. Results suggest that RR-P3HT chains in the lamellar structure prefer to be perpendicular to the axis of the RR-P3HT nanotubes, forming a face-on conformation in the RR-P3HT nanotubes that leads to increased carrier mobility of RR-P3HT. Field-effect transistors were fabricated based on a single RR-P3HT nanotube and showed a carrier mobility of 0.14 ± 0.02 cm(2)/V·s.

Molecular Dynamics Simulation of Chain Folding for Polyethylene Subjected to Vibration Excitation

We propose a molecular dynamics method with vibration excitation, named as VEMD, to investigate the vibration effect on chain folding for polymer molecule. The VEMD method is based on the introduction of periodic force, the amplitude and frequency of which can be adjusted, and the method was applied to the folding simulation of a polyethylene chain. Simulation results show that the vibration excitation significantly affects the folding of the polyethylene, and frequency and amplitude of the vibration excitation play key roles in VEMD. Different frequencies and amplitudes will determine how and to what extent does the vibration excitation affect the folding process of the polyethylene structure.