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Liu J, Lin H, Li X. GMXPolymer: a generated polymerization algorithm based on GROMACS. J Mol Model 2024; 30:320. [PMID: 39223357 DOI: 10.1007/s00894-024-06119-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2024] [Accepted: 08/23/2024] [Indexed: 09/04/2024]
Abstract
CONTEXT This work introduces a method for generating generalized structures of amorphous polymers using simulated polymerization and molecular dynamics equilibration, with a particular focus on amorphous polymers. The techniques and algorithms used in this method are described in the main text, and example input scripts are provided for the GMXPolymer code, which is based on the GROMACS molecular dynamics package. To demonstrate the efficacy of our method, we apply it to different glassy polymers exhibiting varying degrees of functionality, polarity, and rigidity. The reliability of the method is validated by comparing simulation results with experimental data in various structural and thermal properties, both of which show excellent agreement. METHODS This work implements the GMXPolymer simulated polymerization algorithm on the GROMACS program. GMXPolymer code controls the main polymerization loop. The energy minimizations and molecular dynamics simulations use the GROMACS program called by the GMXPolymer code. A new ITP file is generated when a new bond is formed, and the necessary additions to the ITP file are made to include new bonds, angles, and dihedrals. In preparing the ITP file of the monomer, the charge of the reactive atom must be modified before the code runs so that it is a correct value after bonding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jianchuan Liu
- School of Electrical Engineering and Electronic Information, Xihua University, Chengdu, 610039, China
| | - Haiyan Lin
- School of Electrical Engineering and Electronic Information, Xihua University, Chengdu, 610039, China
| | - Xun Li
- Institute of Linguistics, Shanghai International Studies University, Shanghai, 200000, China.
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2
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Mei B, Schweizer KS. Penetrant shape effects on activated dynamics and selectivity in polymer melts and networks based on self-consistent cooperative hopping theory. SOFT MATTER 2023; 19:8744-8763. [PMID: 37937332 DOI: 10.1039/d3sm01139a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2023]
Abstract
We generalize and apply the microscopic self-consistent cooperative hopping theory for activated penetrant dynamics in polymer melts and crosslinked networks to address the role of highly variable non-spherical molecular shape. The focus is on vastly different shaped penetrants that have identical space filling volume in order to isolate how non-spherical shape explicitly modifies dynamics over a wide range of temperature down to the kinetic glass transition temperature. The theory relates intramolecular and intermolecular structure and kinetic constraints, and reveals how different solvation packing of polymer monomers around variable shaped penetrants impact penetrant hopping. A highly shape-dependent penetrant activated relaxation, including alpha time decoupling and trajectory level cooperativity of the hopping process, is predicted in the deeply supercooled regime for relatively larger penetrants which is sensitive to whether the polymer matrix is a melt or heavily crosslinked network. In contrast, for smaller size penetrants or at high/medium temperatures the effect of isochoric penetrant shape is relatively weak. We propose an aspect ratio variable that organizes how penetrant shape influences the activated relaxation times, leading to a (near) collapse or master curve. The relative absolute values of the penetrant relaxation time (inverse hopping rate) in polymer melts versus in crosslinked networks are found to be opposite when compared at a common absolute temperature versus when they are compared at a fixed value of distance from the glass transition based on the variable Tg/T with Tg the glass transition temperature. Quantitative comparison with recent diffusion experiments on chemically complex molecular penetrants of variable shape but fixed volume in crosslinked networks reveals good agreement, and testable new predictions are made. Extension of the theoretical approach to more complex systems of high experimental interest are discussed, including applications to realize selective transport in membrane separation applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Baicheng Mei
- Department of Materials Science, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL 61801, USA.
- Materials Research Laboratory, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
| | - Kenneth S Schweizer
- Department of Materials Science, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL 61801, USA.
- Department of Chemistry, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
- Materials Research Laboratory, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
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3
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Mei B, Lin TW, Sheridan GS, Evans CM, Sing CE, Schweizer KS. How Segmental Dynamics and Mesh Confinement Determine the Selective Diffusivity of Molecules in Cross-Linked Dense Polymer Networks. ACS CENTRAL SCIENCE 2023; 9:508-518. [PMID: 36968535 PMCID: PMC10037493 DOI: 10.1021/acscentsci.2c01373] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2022] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
The diffusion of molecules ("penetrants") of variable size, shape, and chemistry through dense cross-linked polymer networks is a fundamental scientific problem broadly relevant in materials, polymer, physical, and biological chemistry. Relevant applications include separation membranes, barrier materials, drug delivery, and nanofiltration. A major open question is the relationship between transport, thermodynamic state, and penetrant and polymer chemical structure. Here we combine experiment, simulation, and theory to unravel these competing effects on penetrant transport in rubbery and supercooled polymer permanent networks over a wide range of cross-link densities, size ratios, and temperatures. The crucial importance of the coupling of local penetrant hopping to polymer structural relaxation and the secondary importance of mesh confinement effects are established. Network cross-links strongly slow down nm-scale polymer relaxation, which greatly retards the activated penetrant diffusion. The demonstrated good agreement between experiment, simulation, and theory provides strong support for the size ratio (penetrant diameter to the polymer Kuhn length) as a key variable and the usefulness of coarse-grained simulation and theoretical models that average over Angstrom scale structure. The developed theory provides an understanding of the physical processes underlying the behaviors observed in experiment and simulation and suggests new strategies for enhancing selective polymer membrane design.
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Affiliation(s)
- Baicheng Mei
- Department
of Materials Science, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
- Materials
Research Laboratory, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
| | - Tsai-Wei Lin
- Department
of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
- Materials
Research Laboratory, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
| | - Grant S. Sheridan
- Department
of Materials Science, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
- Materials
Research Laboratory, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
| | - Christopher M. Evans
- Department
of Materials Science, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
- Department
of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
- Materials
Research Laboratory, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
| | - Charles E. Sing
- Department
of Materials Science, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
- Department
of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
- Materials
Research Laboratory, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
| | - Kenneth S. Schweizer
- Department
of Materials Science, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
- Department
of Chemistry, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
- Department
of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
- Materials
Research Laboratory, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
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4
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Mei B, Sheridan GS, Evans CM, Schweizer KS. Elucidation of the physical factors that control activated transport of penetrants in chemically complex glass-forming liquids. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2022; 119:e2210094119. [PMID: 36194629 PMCID: PMC9565165 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2210094119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2022] [Accepted: 09/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Understanding the activated transport of penetrant or tracer atoms and molecules in condensed phases is a challenging problem in chemistry, materials science, physics, and biophysics. Many angstrom- and nanometer-scale features enter due to the highly variable shape, size, interaction, and conformational flexibility of the penetrant and matrix species, leading to a dramatic diversity of penetrant dynamics. Based on a minimalist model of a spherical penetrant in equilibrated dense matrices of hard spheres, a recent microscopic theory that relates hopping transport to local structure has predicted a novel correlation between penetrant diffusivity and the matrix thermodynamic dimensionless compressibility, S0(T) (which also quantifies the amplitude of long wavelength density fluctuations), as a consequence of a fundamental statistical mechanical relationship between structure and thermodynamics. Moreover, the penetrant activation barrier is predicted to have a factorized/multiplicative form, scaling as the product of an inverse power law of S0(T) and a linear/logarithmic function of the penetrant-to-matrix size ratio. This implies an enormous reduction in chemical complexity that is verified based solely on experimental data for diverse classes of chemically complex penetrants dissolved in molecular and polymeric liquids over a wide range of temperatures down to the kinetic glass transition. The predicted corollary that the penetrant diffusion constant decreases exponentially with inverse temperature raised to an exponent determined solely by how S0(T) decreases with cooling is also verified experimentally. Our findings are relevant to fundamental questions in glassy dynamics, self-averaging of angstrom-scale chemical features, and applications such as membrane separations, barrier coatings, drug delivery, and self-healing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Baicheng Mei
- Department of Materials Science, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801
- Material Research Laboratory, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801
| | - Grant S. Sheridan
- Department of Materials Science, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801
- Material Research Laboratory, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801
| | - Christopher M. Evans
- Department of Materials Science, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801
- Material Research Laboratory, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801
- Department of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801
| | - Kenneth S. Schweizer
- Department of Materials Science, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801
- Material Research Laboratory, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801
- Department of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801
- Department of Chemistry, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801
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5
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Mei B, Schweizer KS. Theory of the Effects of Specific Attractions and Chain Connectivity on the Activated Dynamics and Selective Transport of Penetrants in Polymer Melts. Macromolecules 2022. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.macromol.2c01549] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Baicheng Mei
- Department of Materials Science, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois61801, United States
- Materials Research Laboratory, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois61801, United States
| | - Kenneth S. Schweizer
- Department of Materials Science, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois61801, United States
- Department of Chemistry, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois61801, United States
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois61801, United States
- Materials Research Laboratory, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois61801, United States
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6
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Moon JD, Borjigin H, Liu R, Joseph RM, Riffle JS, Freeman BD, Paul DR. Impact of humidity on gas transport in polybenzimidazole membranes. J Memb Sci 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.memsci.2021.119758] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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7
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Nanochannels and nanodroplets in polymer membranes controlling ionic transport. Curr Opin Colloid Interface Sci 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cocis.2021.101501] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
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8
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Tekell MC, Kumar SK. Structure and Dynamics of Stockmayer Polymer Electrolyte. Macromolecules 2021. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.macromol.1c00850] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Marshall C. Tekell
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Columbia University, New York, New York 10027, United States
| | - Sanat K. Kumar
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Columbia University, New York, New York 10027, United States
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9
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Mei B, Schweizer KS. Theory of the effect of external stress on the activated dynamics and transport of dilute penetrants in supercooled liquids and glasses. J Chem Phys 2021; 155:054505. [PMID: 34364324 DOI: 10.1063/5.0056920] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
We generalize the self-consistent cooperative hopping theory for a dilute spherical penetrant or tracer activated dynamics in dense metastable hard sphere fluids and glasses to address the effect of external stress, the consequences of which are systematically established as a function of matrix packing fraction and penetrant-to-matrix size ratio. All relaxation processes speed up under stress, but the difference between the penetrant and matrix hopping (alpha relaxation) times decreases significantly with stress corresponding to less time scale decoupling. A dynamic crossover occurs at a critical "slaving onset" stress beyond which the matrix activated hopping relaxation time controls the penetrant hopping time. This characteristic stress increases (decreases) exponentially with packing fraction (size ratio) and can be well below the absolute yield stress of the matrix. Below the slaving onset, the penetrant hopping time is predicted to vary exponentially with stress, differing from the power law dependence of the pure matrix alpha time due to system-specificity of the stress-induced changes in the penetrant local cage and elastic barriers. An exponential growth of the penetrant alpha relaxation time with size ratio under stress is predicted, and at a fixed matrix packing fraction, the exponential relation between penetrant hopping time and stress for different size ratios can be collapsed onto a master curve. Direct connections between the short- and long-time activated penetrant dynamics and between the penetrant (or matrix) alpha relaxation time and matrix thermodynamic dimensionless compressibility are also predicted. The presented results should be testable in future experiments and simulations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Baicheng Mei
- Department of Materials Science, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois 61801, USA
| | - Kenneth S Schweizer
- Department of Materials Science, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois 61801, USA
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10
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Milster S, Kim WK, Kanduč M, Dzubiella J. Tuning the permeability of regular polymeric networks by the cross-link ratio. J Chem Phys 2021; 154:154902. [PMID: 33887934 DOI: 10.1063/5.0045675] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
The amount of cross-linking in the design of polymer materials is a key parameter for the modification of numerous physical properties, importantly, the permeability to molecular solutes. We consider networks with a diamond-like architecture and different cross-link ratios, concurring with a wide range of the polymer volume fraction. We particularly focus on the effect and the competition of two independent component-specific solute-polymer interactions, i.e., we distinguish between chain-monomers and cross-linkers, which individually act on the solutes and are altered to cover attractive and repulsive regimes. For this purpose, we employ coarse-grained, Langevin computer simulations to study how the cross-link ratio of polymer networks controls the solute partitioning, diffusion, and permeability. We observe different qualitative behaviors as a function of the cross-link ratio and interaction strengths. The permeability can be tuned ranging over two orders of magnitude relative to the reference bulk permeability. Finally, we provide scaling theories for the partitioning and diffusion that explicitly account for the component-specific interactions as well as the cross-link ratio and the polymer volume fraction. These are in overall good agreement with the simulation results and grant insight into the underlying physics, rationalizing how the cross-link ratio can be exploited to tune the solute permeability of polymeric networks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sebastian Milster
- Applied Theoretical Physics-Computational Physics, Physikalisches Institut, Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg, D-79104 Freiburg, Germany
| | - Won Kyu Kim
- Korea Institute for Advanced Study, Seoul 02455, Republic of Korea
| | - Matej Kanduč
- Jožef Stefan Institute, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Joachim Dzubiella
- Applied Theoretical Physics-Computational Physics, Physikalisches Institut, Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg, D-79104 Freiburg, Germany
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11
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Mei B, Schweizer KS. Activated penetrant dynamics in glass forming liquids: size effects, decoupling, slaving, collective elasticity and correlation with matrix compressibility. SOFT MATTER 2021; 17:2624-2639. [PMID: 33528485 DOI: 10.1039/d0sm02215b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
We employ the microscopic self-consistent cooperative hopping theory of penetrant activated dynamics in glass forming viscous liquids and colloidal suspensions to address new questions over a wide range of high matrix packing fractions and penetrant-to-matrix particle size ratios. The focus is on the mean activated relaxation time of smaller tracers in a hard sphere fluid of larger particle matrices. This quantity also determines the penetrant diffusion constant and connects directly with the structural relaxation time probed in an incoherent dynamic structure factor measurement. The timescale of the non-activated fast dissipative process is also studied and is predicted to follow power laws with the contact value of the penetrant-matrix pair correlation function and the penetrant-matrix size ratio. For long time penetrant relaxation, in the relatively lower packing fraction metastable regime the local cage barriers are dominant and matrix collective elasticity effects unimportant. As packing fraction and/or penetrant size grows, much higher barriers emerge and the collective elasticity associated with the correlated matrix dynamic displacement that facilitates penetrant hopping becomes important. This results in a non-monotonic variation with packing fraction of the degree of decoupling between the matrix and penetrant alpha relaxation times. The conditions required for penetrant hopping to become slaved to the matrix alpha process are determined, which depend mainly on the penetrant to matrix particle size ratio. By analyzing the absolute and relative importance of the cage and elastic barriers we establish a mechanistic understanding of the origin of the predicted exponential growth of the penetrant hopping time with size ratio predicted at very high packing fractions. A dynamics-thermodynamics power law connection between the penetrant activation barrier and the matrix dimensionless compressibility is established as a prediction of theory, with different scaling exponents depending on whether matrix collective elasticity effects are important. Quantitative comparisons with simulations of the penetrant relaxation time, diffusion constant, and transient localization length of tracers in dense colloidal suspensions and cold viscous liquids reveal good agreements. Multiple new predictions are made that are testable via future experiments and simulations. Extension of the theoretical approach to more complex systems of high experimental interest (nonspherical molecules, semiflexible polymers, crosslinked networks) interacting via variable hard or soft repulsions and/or short range attractions is possible, including under external deformation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Baicheng Mei
- Department of Materials Science, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL 61801, USA. and Materials Research Laboratory, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
| | - Kenneth S Schweizer
- Department of Materials Science, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL 61801, USA. and Materials Research Laboratory, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL 61801, USA and Department of Chemistry, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL 61801, USA and Department of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
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12
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Kanduč M, Kim WK, Roa R, Dzubiella J. How the Shape and Chemistry of Molecular Penetrants Control Responsive Hydrogel Permeability. ACS NANO 2021; 15:614-624. [PMID: 33382598 PMCID: PMC7844830 DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.0c06319] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2020] [Accepted: 12/28/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
The permeability of hydrogels for the selective transport of molecular penetrants (drugs, toxins, reactants, etc.) is a central property in the design of soft functional materials, for instance in biomedical, pharmaceutical, and nanocatalysis applications. However, the permeation of dense and hydrated polymer membranes is a complex multifaceted molecular-level phenomenon, and our understanding of the underlying physicochemical principles is still very limited. Here, we uncover the molecular principles of permeability and selectivity in hydrogel permeation. We combine the solution-diffusion model for permeability with comprehensive atomistic simulations of molecules of various shapes and polarities in a responsive hydrogel in different hydration states. We find in particular that dense collapsed states are extremely selective, owing to a delicate balance between the partitioning and diffusivity of the penetrants. These properties are sensitively tuned by the penetrant size, shape, and chemistry, leading to vast cancellation effects, which nontrivially contribute to the permeability. The gained insights enable us to formulate semiempirical rules to quantify and extrapolate the permeability categorized by classes of molecules. They can be used as approximate guiding ("rule-of-thumb") principles to optimize penetrant or membrane physicochemical properties for a desired permeability and membrane functionality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matej Kanduč
- Jožef
Stefan Institute, Jamova 39, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Won Kyu Kim
- Korea
Institute for Advanced Study, 85 Hoegiro, Seoul 02455, Republic of Korea
| | - Rafael Roa
- Departamento
de Física Aplicada I, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Málaga, Campus de Teatinos s/n, E-29071 Málaga, Spain
| | - Joachim Dzubiella
- Applied
Theoretical Physics−Computational Physics, Physikalisches Institut, Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg, Hermann-Herder Strasse 3, D-79104 Freiburg, Germany
- Research
Group for Simulations of Energy Materials, Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin für Materialien und Energie, Hahn-Meitner-Platz 1, D-14109 Berlin, Germany
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13
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Kim WK, Chudoba R, Milster S, Roa R, Kanduč M, Dzubiella J. Tuning the selective permeability of polydisperse polymer networks. SOFT MATTER 2020; 16:8144-8154. [PMID: 32935731 DOI: 10.1039/d0sm01083a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
We study the permeability and selectivity ('permselectivity') of model membranes made of polydisperse polymer networks for molecular penetrant transport, using coarse-grained, implicit-solvent computer simulations. In our work, permeability P is determined on the linear-response level using the solution-diffusion model, P = KDin, i.e., by calculating the equilibrium penetrant partition ratio K and penetrant diffusivity Din inside the membrane. We vary two key parameters, namely the network-network interaction, which controls the degree of swelling and collapse of the network, and the network-penetrant interaction, which tunes the selective penetrant uptake and microscopic energy landscape for diffusive transport. We find that the partitioning K covers four orders of magnitude and is a non-monotonic function of the parameters, well interpreted by a second-order virial expansion of the free energy of transferring one penetrant from a reservoir into the membrane. Moreover, we find that the penetrant diffusivity Din in the polydisperse networks, in contrast to highly ordered membrane structures, exhibits relatively simple exponential decays. We propose a semi-empirical scaling law for the penetrant diffusion that describes the simulation data for a wide range of densities and interaction parameters. The resulting permeability P turns out to follow the qualitative behavior (including maximization and minimization) of partitioning. However, partitioning and diffusion are typically anti-correlated, yielding large quantitative cancellations, controlled and fine-tuned by the network density and interactions, as rationalized by our scaling laws. We finally demonstrate that even small changes of network-penetrant interactions, e.g., by half a kBT, modify the permselectivity by almost one order of magnitude.
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Affiliation(s)
- Won Kyu Kim
- Korea Institute for Advanced Study, Seoul 02455, Republic of Korea.
| | - Richard Chudoba
- Research Group for Simulations of Energy Materials, Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin für Materialien und Energie, D-14109 Berlin, Germany and Division of Theoretical Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, Lund University, P.O. Box 124, SE-22100 Lund, Sweden
| | - Sebastian Milster
- Research Group for Simulations of Energy Materials, Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin für Materialien und Energie, D-14109 Berlin, Germany and Applied Theoretical Physics-Computational Physics, Physikalisches Institut, Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg, D-79104 Freiburg, Germany.
| | - Rafael Roa
- Departamento de Física Aplicada I, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Málaga, E-29071 Málaga, Spain
| | - Matej Kanduč
- JoŽef Stefan Institute, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Joachim Dzubiella
- Research Group for Simulations of Energy Materials, Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin für Materialien und Energie, D-14109 Berlin, Germany and Applied Theoretical Physics-Computational Physics, Physikalisches Institut, Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg, D-79104 Freiburg, Germany. and Cluster of Excellence livMatS @ FIT - Freiburg Center for Interactive Materials and Bioinspired Technologies, Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg, D-79110 Freiburg, Germany
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14
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Greenfield ML. Representing polymer molecular structure using molecular simulations for the study of liquid sorption and diffusion. Curr Opin Chem Eng 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.coche.2020.02.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
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15
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Minelli M, Sarti GC. Modeling mass transport in dense polymer membranes: cooperative synergy among multiple scale approaches. Curr Opin Chem Eng 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.coche.2020.01.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
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16
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Moon JD, Galizia M, Borjigin H, Liu R, Riffle JS, Freeman BD, Paul DR. Modeling water diffusion in polybenzimidazole membranes using partial immobilization and free volume theory. POLYMER 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.polymer.2020.122170] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
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17
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Fayon P, Sarkisov L. Structure and dynamics of water in molecular models of hydrated polyvinylamine membranes. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2019; 21:26453-26465. [PMID: 31774420 DOI: 10.1039/c9cp05399a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Facilitated transport membranes (FTMs) constitute an emerging class of polymer materials with promising properties for carbon capture applications. The key feature of these membranes is the presence of chemical groups which, in the presence of water, engage in a reaction with dissolved carbon dioxide, thus enhancing the permeability and selectivity of the membrane. Currently, little is known about the organization of these membranes on a molecular level, reaction mechanisms and detailed chemical balance, transport of water, ion species and dissolved gas molecules. The nature of the actual facilitation mechanism and the factors responsible for this effect remain unclear. Here, we use a case of polyvinylamine (PVAm), one of the most studied fixed carrier material for FTMs, to propose molecular models of the hydrated polymers. We aim to understand how transport of water is governed by structural properties of the membrane, such as the free volume, pore limiting diameter, and degree of protonation. We observe that even at the highest experimentally used hydration level, the mobility of water in PVAm matrices is significantly lower than that in bulk water; unlike in bulk systems, chloride ions exhibit much slower diffusion in confined water; this, in turn, affects the diffusion of water, which also diminishes in the presence of chloride ions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pierre Fayon
- School of Engineering, Institute for Materials and Processes, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK.
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18
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Zou W, Moghadam S, Hoy RS, Larson RG. Multiscale Modeling of Sub-Entanglement-Scale Chain Stretching and Strain Hardening in Deformed Polymeric Glasses. Macromolecules 2019. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.macromol.9b00901] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Weizhong Zou
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, United States
| | - Soroush Moghadam
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, United States
| | - Robert S. Hoy
- Department of Physics, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida 33620, United States
| | - Ronald G. Larson
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, United States
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19
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Vergadou N, Theodorou DN. Molecular Modeling Investigations of Sorption and Diffusion of Small Molecules in Glassy Polymers. MEMBRANES 2019; 9:E98. [PMID: 31398889 PMCID: PMC6723301 DOI: 10.3390/membranes9080098] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2019] [Revised: 07/22/2019] [Accepted: 07/23/2019] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
With a wide range of applications, from energy and environmental engineering, such as in gas separations and water purification, to biomedical engineering and packaging, glassy polymeric materials remain in the core of novel membrane and state-of the art barrier technologies. This review focuses on molecular simulation methodologies implemented for the study of sorption and diffusion of small molecules in dense glassy polymeric systems. Basic concepts are introduced and systematic methods for the generation of realistic polymer configurations are briefly presented. Challenges related to the long length and time scale phenomena that govern the permeation process in the glassy polymer matrix are described and molecular simulation approaches developed to address the multiscale problem at hand are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Niki Vergadou
- Molecular Thermodynamics and Modelling of Materials Laboratory, Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, National Center for Scientific Research Demokritos, Aghia Paraskevi Attikis, GR-15310 Athens, Greece.
| | - Doros N Theodorou
- School of Chemical Engineering, National Technical University of Athens, GR 15780 Athens, Greece
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20
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Li SJ, Qian HJ, Lu ZY. A comparative study on the dynamic heterogeneity of supercooled polymers under nanoconfinement. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2019; 21:15888-15898. [PMID: 31287116 DOI: 10.1039/c9cp02550b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
Dynamic heterogeneity (DH) is a universal property of glass transition phenomena. In this work, we perform a comparative analysis of DH for pure polymer and polymer/nanoparticle composite systems in both film and bulk states via molecular dynamics simulations. We find that the dynamic gradient and the faster average dynamics due to the presence of a free surface are two leading factors, resulting from a nanoconfinement effect, which influence different parts of DH in a film system. The dynamic gradient results from differences in dynamics at different distances from the mobile surface, which induces a large deviation from the Gaussian distribution for the displacement distribution in the film. At the same time, the maximum string size which describes the region size for cooperative motion (dynamic correlation) can also be influenced by the dynamic gradient, although this influence is much weaker than that on the displacement distribution. On the other hand, reflecting temporal fluctuations of dynamics or temporal parts of DH, characteristic peak times of the non-Gaussian parameter and string size, and the ratio between persistent times and exchange times which describe the dynamic exchange properties, are mainly influenced by the faster dynamics on average. Our results demonstrate that measuring different properties (dynamic distribution, dynamic correlation or dynamic exchange) place an emphasis on distinct temporal and spatial parts of DH. It is necessary to use combinational measurements of these properties to give a complete picture of DH in nanoconfinement environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shu-Jia Li
- State Key Laboratory of Supramolecular Structure and Materials, International Joint Research Laboratory of Nano-Micro Architecture Chemistry, Institute of Theoretical Chemistry, Jilin University, Changchun 130021, China.
| | - Hu-Jun Qian
- State Key Laboratory of Supramolecular Structure and Materials, International Joint Research Laboratory of Nano-Micro Architecture Chemistry, Institute of Theoretical Chemistry, Jilin University, Changchun 130021, China.
| | - Zhong-Yuan Lu
- State Key Laboratory of Supramolecular Structure and Materials, International Joint Research Laboratory of Nano-Micro Architecture Chemistry, Institute of Theoretical Chemistry, Jilin University, Changchun 130021, China.
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21
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Poling-Skutvik R, Roberts RC, Slim AH, Narayanan S, Krishnamoorti R, Palmer JC, Conrad JC. Structure Dominates Localization of Tracers within Aging Nanoparticle Glasses. J Phys Chem Lett 2019; 10:1784-1789. [PMID: 30916569 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.9b00309] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
We investigate the transport and localization of tracer probes in a glassy matrix as a function of relative size using dynamic X-ray scattering experiments and molecular dynamics simulations. The quiescent relaxations of tracer particles evolve with increasing waiting time, tw. The corresponding relaxation times increase exponentially at small tw and then transition to a power-law behavior at longer tw. As tracer size decreases, the aging behavior weakens and the particles become less localized within the matrix until they delocalize at a critical size ratio δ0 ≈ 0.38. Localization does not vary with sample age even as the relaxations slow by approximately an order of magnitude, suggesting that matrix structure controls tracer localization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryan Poling-Skutvik
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering , University of Houston , Houston , Texas 77204-4004 , United States
| | - Ryan C Roberts
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering , University of Houston , Houston , Texas 77204-4004 , United States
| | - Ali H Slim
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering , University of Houston , Houston , Texas 77204-4004 , United States
| | - Suresh Narayanan
- Advanced Photon Source , Argonne National Laboratory , Argonne , Illinois 60439 , United States
| | - Ramanan Krishnamoorti
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering , University of Houston , Houston , Texas 77204-4004 , United States
| | - Jeremy C Palmer
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering , University of Houston , Houston , Texas 77204-4004 , United States
| | - Jacinta C Conrad
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering , University of Houston , Houston , Texas 77204-4004 , United States
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22
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Karatrantos A, Composto RJ, Winey KI, Clarke N. Nanorod Diffusion in Polymer Nanocomposites by Molecular Dynamics Simulations. Macromolecules 2019. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.macromol.8b02141] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
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
| | - Russell J. Composto
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, United States
| | - Karen I. Winey
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, United States
| | - Nigel Clarke
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Sheffield, Sheffield S3 7RH, United Kingdom
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23
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Barnett JW, Kumar SK. Modeling gas transport in polymer-grafted nanoparticle membranes. SOFT MATTER 2019; 15:424-432. [PMID: 30569058 DOI: 10.1039/c8sm02235f] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
We use coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulations to study gas diffusion within nanocomposites consisting of matrix-free polymer-grafted nanoparticles. We compare the transport of gas penetrants in systems using polymer models with and without an angle potential and show that gas diffusion enhancement occurs in nanocomposite systems only with the angle potential. This enhancement is related to the free volume in the system, but the cage size experienced by the gas penetrant seems to be a more relevant indicator of gas diffusion enhancement. The enhancement seen in our simulations is smaller than that observed in experiments.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Wesley Barnett
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA.
| | - Sanat K Kumar
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA.
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24
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Zhang K, Kumar SK. Defining the optimal criterion for separating gases using polymeric membranes. SOFT MATTER 2018; 14:9847-9850. [PMID: 30489596 DOI: 10.1039/c8sm02012d] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Polymeric membranes are efficient in separating gas mixtures, typically by exploiting the sieving mechanism. What controls the sieve size of a given polymer matrix is unclear, although one line of thought implies that the local cage size, defined by the dynamic motions of the glassy polymer matrix, is the relevant metric. Here, we use coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulations and show that the sieve size is defined by a static cavity size controlled by polymer chain stiffness (a packing-driven metric) combined with the local cage-like motions of the polymer host. The best separation performance for a pair of gases is when this combined metric is roughly half way between the diameters of the gases in question, with the static and dynamic quantities contributing roughly equally. For the various models simulated we find the existence of an upper bound correlation which passes through this optimal point and has a slope expected from the Freeman model, namely , where the d's correspond to the kinetic diameters of the gases in question. Our results thus demonstrate that the relevant free volume size that affects gas transport in these condensed phases is defined by both static and dynamic measures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kai Zhang
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Columbia University, New York, New York 10027, USA.
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25
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Coarse-grained molecular dynamics study on the rheological behaviors of surfactant aqueous solution. J Mol Liq 2018. [DOI: 10.1016/j.molliq.2018.06.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
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26
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Kanduč M, Kim WK, Roa R, Dzubiella J. Selective Molecular Transport in Thermoresponsive Polymer Membranes: Role of Nanoscale Hydration and Fluctuations. Macromolecules 2018. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.macromol.8b00735] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Matej Kanduč
- Research Group for Simulations of Energy Materials, Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin für Materialien und Energie, Hahn-Meitner-Platz 1, D-14109 Berlin, Germany
| | - Won Kyu Kim
- Research Group for Simulations of Energy Materials, Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin für Materialien und Energie, Hahn-Meitner-Platz 1, D-14109 Berlin, Germany
| | - Rafael Roa
- Research Group for Simulations of Energy Materials, Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin für Materialien und Energie, Hahn-Meitner-Platz 1, D-14109 Berlin, Germany
- Departamento de Física Aplicada I, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Málaga, Campus de Teatinos s/n, E-29071 Málaga, Spain
| | - Joachim Dzubiella
- Research Group for Simulations of Energy Materials, Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin für Materialien und Energie, Hahn-Meitner-Platz 1, D-14109 Berlin, Germany
- Physikalisches Institut, Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg, Hermann-Herder Strasse 3, D-79104 Freiburg, Germany
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27
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Roberts RC, Poling-Skutvik R, Palmer JC, Conrad JC. Tracer Transport Probes Relaxation and Structure of Attractive and Repulsive Glassy Liquids. J Phys Chem Lett 2018; 9:3008-3013. [PMID: 29763547 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.8b01074] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Dynamic coupling of small penetrants to slow, cooperative relaxations within crowded cells, supercooled liquids, and polymer matrices has broad consequences for applications ranging from drug delivery to nanocomposite processing. Interactions between the constituents of these and other disordered media alter the cooperative relaxations, but their effect on penetrant dynamics remains incompletely understood. We use molecular dynamics simulations to show that the motions of hard-sphere tracer particles probe differences in local structure and cooperative relaxation processes in attractive and repulsive glassy liquid matrices with equal bulk packing fractions and long-time diffusivities. Coupling of the tracer dynamics to collective relaxations in each matrix affects the shape of tracer trajectories, which are fractal within the repulsive matrix and more compact in the attractive. These results reveal that the structure of relaxations controls penetrant transport and dispersion in cooperatively relaxing systems and provide insight into dynamical heterogeneity within glassy liquids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryan C Roberts
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering , University of Houston , Houston , Texas 77204-4004 , United States
| | - Ryan Poling-Skutvik
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering , University of Houston , Houston , Texas 77204-4004 , United States
| | - Jeremy C Palmer
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering , University of Houston , Houston , Texas 77204-4004 , United States
| | - Jacinta C Conrad
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering , University of Houston , Houston , Texas 77204-4004 , United States
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