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Nie C, Peng F, Cao R, Cui K, Sheng J, Chen W, Li L. Recent progress in flow‐induced polymer crystallization. JOURNAL OF POLYMER SCIENCE 2022. [DOI: 10.1002/pol.20220330] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Cui Nie
- National Synchrotron Radiation Laboratory, Anhui Provincial Engineering Laboratory of Advanced Functional Polymer Film, CAS Key Laboratory of Soft Matter Chemistry University of Science and Technology of China Hefei China
| | - Fan Peng
- National Synchrotron Radiation Laboratory, Anhui Provincial Engineering Laboratory of Advanced Functional Polymer Film, CAS Key Laboratory of Soft Matter Chemistry University of Science and Technology of China Hefei China
| | - Renkuan Cao
- National Synchrotron Radiation Laboratory, Anhui Provincial Engineering Laboratory of Advanced Functional Polymer Film, CAS Key Laboratory of Soft Matter Chemistry University of Science and Technology of China Hefei China
| | - Kunpeng Cui
- Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, Anhui Provincial Engineering Laboratory of Advanced Functional Polymer Film University of Science and Technology of China Hefei China
| | - Junfang Sheng
- National Synchrotron Radiation Laboratory, Anhui Provincial Engineering Laboratory of Advanced Functional Polymer Film, CAS Key Laboratory of Soft Matter Chemistry University of Science and Technology of China Hefei China
| | - Wei Chen
- National Synchrotron Radiation Laboratory, Anhui Provincial Engineering Laboratory of Advanced Functional Polymer Film, CAS Key Laboratory of Soft Matter Chemistry University of Science and Technology of China Hefei China
| | - Liangbin Li
- National Synchrotron Radiation Laboratory, Anhui Provincial Engineering Laboratory of Advanced Functional Polymer Film, CAS Key Laboratory of Soft Matter Chemistry University of Science and Technology of China Hefei China
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Nicholson DA, Andreev M, Kearns KL, Chyasnavichyus M, Monaenkova D, Moore J, den Doelder J, Rutledge GC. Experiments and Modeling of Flow-Enhanced Nucleation in LLDPE. J Phys Chem B 2022; 126:6529-6535. [PMID: 35998645 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.2c03460] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
A computational and experimental framework for quantifying flow-enhanced nucleation (FEN) in polymers is presented and demonstrated for an industrial-grade linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE). Experimentally, kinetic measurements of isothermal crystallization were performed by using fast-scanning calorimetry (FSC) for melts that were presheared at various strain rates. The effect of shear on the average conformation tensor of the melt was modeled with the discrete slip-link model (DSM). The conformation tensor was then related to the acceleration in nucleation kinetics by using an expression previously validated with nonequilibrium molecular dynamics (NEMD). The expression is based on the nematic order tensor of Kuhn segments, which can be obtained from the conformation tensor of entanglement strands. The single adjustable parameter of the model was determined by fitting to the experimental FSC data. This expression accurately describes FEN for the LLDPE, representing a significant advancement toward the development of a fully integrated processing model for crystallizable polymers.
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Affiliation(s)
- David A Nicholson
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
| | - Marat Andreev
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
| | - Kenneth L Kearns
- The Dow Chemical Company, Midland, Michigan 48642, United States
| | | | - Daria Monaenkova
- The Dow Chemical Company, Midland, Michigan 48642, United States
| | - Jonathan Moore
- The Dow Chemical Company, Midland, Michigan 48642, United States
| | - Jaap den Doelder
- Dow Benelux BV, 4530 AA Terneuzen, The Netherlands.,Eindhoven University of Technology, 5612 AZ Eindhoven, The Netherlands
| | - Gregory C Rutledge
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
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Entanglement on Nucleation Barrier of Polymer Crystal. CHINESE JOURNAL OF POLYMER SCIENCE 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s10118-022-2780-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
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Chen X, Qi S, Yan D. Reversible cross-linking facilitates the formation of critical nucleus in binary polymer blends. J Chem Phys 2022; 156:124903. [PMID: 35364867 DOI: 10.1063/5.0086136] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Using self-consistent field theory, we study the effect of reversible cross-linking on the nucleation behavior of a binary polymer blend where only one of the components is able to form cross-links. To control the total number of cross-links and their distribution, we introduce a position-dependent cross-linking probability function that is characterized mainly by two parameters, the magnitude and the width. In the weakly cross-linked region, where the product of the magnitude and width, I, is small, the nucleation behavior is classical-like and the profile of the free energy excess is unimodal. In contrast, in the strongly cross-linked region, the profile of the free energy excess becomes bimodal, and the free energy minimum specifies a metastable nucleus. In a certain I, the free energy barrier for the metastable nucleus turns to be negative, which means it becomes more stable. In both cases, the free energy barrier of the critical nucleus is lower than that without cross-linking, indicating that cross-linking always facilitates nucleation although the dynamic behavior may be different when a metastable nucleus is involved during the nucleation process. The free energy analysis demonstrates that the interaction energy rather than the entropy is responsible for the properties of the critical nucleus. Our study provides an easy alternative way for the control of the nucleation behavior and may attract practical interest.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xinxiang Chen
- Department of Physics, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
| | - Shuanhu Qi
- Key Laboratory of Bio-inspired Smart Interfacial Science and Technology of Ministry of Education, School of Chemistry, Beihang University, Beijing 100191, China
| | - Dadong Yan
- Department of Physics, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
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Sheng J, Chen W, Cui K, Li L. Polymer crystallization under external flow. REPORTS ON PROGRESS IN PHYSICS. PHYSICAL SOCIETY (GREAT BRITAIN) 2022; 85:036601. [PMID: 35060493 DOI: 10.1088/1361-6633/ac4d92] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2021] [Accepted: 01/20/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
The general aspects of polymer crystallization under external flow, i.e., flow-induced crystallization (FIC) from fundamental theoretical background to multi-scale characterization and modeling results are presented. FIC is crucial for modern polymer processing, such as blowing, casting, and injection modeling, as two-third of daily-used polymers is crystalline, and nearly all of them need to be processed before final applications. For academics, the FIC is intrinsically far from equilibrium, where the polymer crystallization behavior is different from that in quiescent conditions. The continuous investigation of crystallization contributes to a better understanding on the general non-equilibrium ordering in condensed physics. In the current review, the general theories related to polymer nucleation under flow (FIN) were summarized first as a preliminary knowledge. Various theories and models, i.e., coil-stretch transition and entropy reduction model, are briefly presented together with the modified versions. Subsequently, the multi-step ordering process of FIC is discussed in detail, including chain extension, conformational ordering, density fluctuation, and final perfection of the polymer crystalline. These achievements for a thorough understanding of the fundamental basis of FIC benefit from the development of various hyphenated rheometer, i.e., rheo-optical spectroscopy, rheo-IR, and rheo-x-ray scattering. The selected experimental results are introduced to present efforts on elucidating the multi-step and hierarchical structure transition during FIC. Then, the multi-scale modeling methods are summarized, including micro/meso scale simulation and macroscopic continuum modeling. At last, we briefly describe our personal opinions related to the future directions of this field, aiming to ultimately establish the unified theory of FIC and promote building of the more applicable models in the polymer processing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Junfang Sheng
- National Synchrotron Radiation Laboratory, Anhui Provincial Engineering Laboratory of Advanced Functional Polymer Film, CAS Key Laboratory of Soft Matter Chemistry, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, People's Republic of China
| | - Wei Chen
- National Synchrotron Radiation Laboratory, Anhui Provincial Engineering Laboratory of Advanced Functional Polymer Film, CAS Key Laboratory of Soft Matter Chemistry, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, People's Republic of China
| | - Kunpeng Cui
- National Synchrotron Radiation Laboratory, Anhui Provincial Engineering Laboratory of Advanced Functional Polymer Film, CAS Key Laboratory of Soft Matter Chemistry, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, People's Republic of China
| | - Liangbin Li
- National Synchrotron Radiation Laboratory, Anhui Provincial Engineering Laboratory of Advanced Functional Polymer Film, CAS Key Laboratory of Soft Matter Chemistry, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, People's Republic of China
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Nie C, Peng F, Xu T, Ding Y, Sheng J, Chen W, Li L. Biaxial Stretch-Induced Crystallization of Polymers: A Molecular Dynamics Simulation Study. Macromolecules 2021. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.macromol.1c01606] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Cui Nie
- National Synchrotron Radiation Laboratory, Anhui Provincial Engineering Laboratory of Advanced Functional Polymer Film, CAS Key Laboratory of Soft Matter Chemistry, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China
| | - Fan Peng
- National Synchrotron Radiation Laboratory, Anhui Provincial Engineering Laboratory of Advanced Functional Polymer Film, CAS Key Laboratory of Soft Matter Chemistry, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China
| | - Tingyu Xu
- National Synchrotron Radiation Laboratory, Anhui Provincial Engineering Laboratory of Advanced Functional Polymer Film, CAS Key Laboratory of Soft Matter Chemistry, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China
| | - Yiwei Ding
- National Synchrotron Radiation Laboratory, Anhui Provincial Engineering Laboratory of Advanced Functional Polymer Film, CAS Key Laboratory of Soft Matter Chemistry, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China
| | - Junfang Sheng
- National Synchrotron Radiation Laboratory, Anhui Provincial Engineering Laboratory of Advanced Functional Polymer Film, CAS Key Laboratory of Soft Matter Chemistry, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China
| | - Wei Chen
- National Synchrotron Radiation Laboratory, Anhui Provincial Engineering Laboratory of Advanced Functional Polymer Film, CAS Key Laboratory of Soft Matter Chemistry, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China
| | - Liangbin Li
- National Synchrotron Radiation Laboratory, Anhui Provincial Engineering Laboratory of Advanced Functional Polymer Film, CAS Key Laboratory of Soft Matter Chemistry, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China
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A Unified Thermodynamic Model of Flow-induced Crystallization of Polymer. CHINESE JOURNAL OF POLYMER SCIENCE 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s10118-021-2622-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
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Anwar M, Graham RS. Direct observation of long chain enrichment in flow-induced nuclei from molecular dynamics simulations of bimodal blends. SOFT MATTER 2021; 17:2872-2882. [PMID: 33586745 DOI: 10.1039/d0sm01361g] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Modelling of flow-induced nucleation in polymers suggest that long chains are enriched in nuclei, relative to their melt concentration. This enrichment has important consequences for the nucleation rate and mechanism, but cannot be directly observed with current experimental techniques. Instead, we ran united atom molecular dynamics simulations of bimodal polyethylene blends, comprising linear chains at a 50 : 50 mix of long (1000 carbon) and short (500-125 carbon) chains, under shear flow. We developed a method to extract the nucleus composition during a transient start-up flow. Our simulations show significant and systematic enrichment of long-chains for all nucleus sizes up to and beyond the critical nucleus. This enrichment is quantitatively predicted by the recent polySTRAND model [Read et al. Phys. Rev. Lett. 2020, 124, 147802]. The same model parameters also correctly capture the nucleus induction time in our simulations. All parameters of the model were fitted to a small subset of our data in which long chain enhancement was absent. We conclude that long-chain enrichment is central to the mechanism of flow-induced nucleation and that this enrichment must be captured to correctly predict the nucleation rate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Muhammad Anwar
- School of Mathematical Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, NG9 4DP, UK.
| | - Richard S Graham
- School of Mathematical Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, NG9 4DP, UK.
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Schaefer C, Laity PR, Holland C, McLeish TCB. Stretching of Bombyx mori Silk Protein in Flow. Molecules 2021; 26:molecules26061663. [PMID: 33809814 PMCID: PMC8002474 DOI: 10.3390/molecules26061663] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2021] [Revised: 03/05/2021] [Accepted: 03/11/2021] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
The flow-induced self-assembly of entangled Bombyx mori silk proteins is hypothesised to be aided by the ‘registration’ of aligned protein chains using intermolecularly interacting ‘sticky’ patches. This suggests that upon chain alignment, a hierarchical network forms that collectively stretches and induces nucleation in a precisely controlled way. Through the lens of polymer physics, we argue that if all chains would stretch to a similar extent, a clear correlation length of the stickers in the direction of the flow emerges, which may indeed favour such a registration effect. Through simulations in both extensional flow and shear, we show that there is, on the other hand, a very broad distribution of protein–chain stretch, which suggests the registration of proteins is not directly coupled to the applied strain, but may be a slow statistical process. This qualitative prediction seems to be consistent with the large strains (i.e., at long time scales) required to induce gelation in our rheological measurements under constant shear. We discuss our perspective of how the flow-induced self-assembly of silk may be addressed by new experiments and model development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charley Schaefer
- Department of Physics, University of York, Heslington, York YO10 5DD, UK;
- Correspondence:
| | - Peter R. Laity
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, The University of Sheffield, Sir Robert Hadfield Building, Mappin Street, Sheffield S1 3JD, UK; (P.R.L.); (C.H.)
| | - Chris Holland
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, The University of Sheffield, Sir Robert Hadfield Building, Mappin Street, Sheffield S1 3JD, UK; (P.R.L.); (C.H.)
| | - Tom C. B. McLeish
- Department of Physics, University of York, Heslington, York YO10 5DD, UK;
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Schaefer C, McLeish TCB. Power Law Stretching of Associating Polymers in Steady-State Extensional Flow. PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 2021; 126:057801. [PMID: 33605750 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.126.057801] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2020] [Revised: 12/02/2020] [Accepted: 01/07/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
We present a tube model for the Brownian dynamics of associating polymers in extensional flow. In linear response, the model confirms the analytical predictions for the sticky diffusivity by Leibler-Rubinstein-Colby theory. Although a single-mode Doi-Edwards-Marrucci-Grizzuti approximation accurately describes the transient stretching of the polymers above a "sticky" Weissenberg number (product of the strain rate with the sticky-Rouse time), the preaveraged model fails to capture a remarkable development of a power law distribution of stretch in steady-state extensional flow: while the mean stretch is finite, the fluctuations in stretch may diverge. We present an analytical model that shows how strong stochastic forcing drives the long tail of the distribution, gives rise to rare events of reaching a threshold stretch, and constitutes a framework within which nucleation rates of flow-induced crystallization may be understood in systems of associating polymers under flow. The model also exemplifies a wide class of driven systems possessing strong, and scaling, fluctuations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charley Schaefer
- Department of Physics, University of York, Heslington, York YO10 5DD, United Kingdom
| | - Tom C B McLeish
- Department of Physics, University of York, Heslington, York YO10 5DD, United Kingdom
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Wicks TJ, Wattis JAD, Graham RS. Monte–Carlo simulation of crystallization in single‐chain square‐well homopolymers. POLYMER CRYSTALLIZATION 2021. [DOI: 10.1002/pcr2.10146] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Thomas J. Wicks
- School of Mathematical Sciences University of Nottingham Nottingham UK
| | | | - Richard S. Graham
- School of Mathematical Sciences University of Nottingham Nottingham UK
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Zhang W, Zou L. Molecular Dynamics Simulations of Crystal Nucleation near Interfaces in Incompatible Polymer Blends. Polymers (Basel) 2021; 13:347. [PMID: 33499036 PMCID: PMC7865509 DOI: 10.3390/polym13030347] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2020] [Revised: 01/17/2021] [Accepted: 01/19/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
We apply molecular dynamics (MD) simulations to investigate crystal nucleation in incompatible polymer blends under deep supercooling conditions. Simulations of isothermal nucleation are performed for phase-separated blends with different degrees of incompatibility. In weakly segregated blends, slow and incompatible chains in crystallizable polymer domains can significantly hinder the crystal nucleation and growth. When a crystallizable polymer is blended with a more mobile species in interfacial regions, enhanced molecular mobility leads to the fast growth of crystalline order. However, the incubation time remains the same as that in pure samples. By inducing anisotropic alignment near the interfaces of strongly segregated blends, phase separation also promotes crystalline order to grow near interfaces between different polymer domains.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenlin Zhang
- Department of Chemistry, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH 03755, USA;
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Goswami A, Singh JK. Homogeneous nucleation of sheared liquids: advances and insights from simulations and theory. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2021; 23:15402-15419. [PMID: 34279013 DOI: 10.1039/d1cp02617h] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
One of the most ubiquitous and technologically important phenomena in nature is the nucleation of homogeneous flowing systems. The microscopic effects of shear on a nucleating system are still imperfectly understood, although in recent years a consistent picture has emerged. The opposing effects of shear can be split into two major contributions for simple atomic and molecular liquids: increase of the energetic cost of nucleation, and enhancement of the kinetics. In this perspective, we describe the latest computational and theoretical techniques which have been developed over the past two decades. We collate and unify the overarching influences of shear, temperature, and supersaturation on the process of homogeneous nucleation. Experimental techniques and capabilities are discussed, against the backdrop of results from simulations and theory. Although we primarily focus on simple systems, we also touch upon the sheared nucleation of more complex systems, including glasses and polymer melts. We speculate on the promising directions and possible advances that could come to fruition in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amrita Goswami
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh 208016, India.
| | - Jayant K Singh
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh 208016, India.
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Berlo FPA, Cardinaels R, Peters GWM, Anderson PD. A numerical study of extensional flow‐induced crystallization in filament stretching rheometry. POLYMER CRYSTALLIZATION 2020. [DOI: 10.1002/pcr2.10154] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Frank P. A. Berlo
- Polymer Technology, Department of Mechanical Engineering Eindhoven University of Technology The Netherlands
| | - Ruth Cardinaels
- Polymer Technology, Department of Mechanical Engineering Eindhoven University of Technology The Netherlands
| | - Gerrit W. M. Peters
- Polymer Technology, Department of Mechanical Engineering Eindhoven University of Technology The Netherlands
| | - Patrick D. Anderson
- Polymer Technology, Department of Mechanical Engineering Eindhoven University of Technology The Netherlands
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenlin Zhang
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, United States
| | - Ronald G. Larson
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, United States
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