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Bouzid O, Martínez-Fernández D, Herranz M, Karayiannis NC. Entropy-Driven Crystallization of Hard Colloidal Mixtures of Polymers and Monomers. Polymers (Basel) 2024; 16:2311. [PMID: 39204531 PMCID: PMC11359749 DOI: 10.3390/polym16162311] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2024] [Revised: 08/05/2024] [Accepted: 08/11/2024] [Indexed: 09/04/2024] Open
Abstract
The most trivial example of self-assembly is the entropy-driven crystallization of hard spheres. Past works have established the similarities and differences in the phase behavior of monomers and chains made of hard spheres. Inspired by the difference in the melting points of the pure components, we study, through Monte Carlo simulations, the phase behavior of athermal mixtures composed of fully flexible polymers and individual monomers of uniform size. We analyze how the relative number fraction and the packing density affect crystallization and the established ordered morphologies. As a first result, a more precise determination of the melting point for freely jointed chains of tangent hard spheres is extracted. A synergetic effect is observed in the crystallization leading to synchronous crystallization of the two species. Structural analysis of the resulting ordered morphologies shows perfect mixing and thus no phase separation. Due to the constraints imposed by chain connectivity, the local environment of the individual spheres, as quantified by the Voronoi polyhedron, is systematically more spherical and more symmetric compared to that of spheres belonging to chains. In turn, the local environment of the ordered phase is more symmetric and more spherical compared to that of the initial random packing, demonstrating the entropic origins of the phase transition. In general, increasing the polymer content reduces the degree of crystallinity and increases the melting point to higher volume fractions. According to the present findings, relative concentration is another determining factor in controlling the phase behavior of hard colloidal mixtures based on polymers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olia Bouzid
- Institute for Optoelectronic Systems and Microtechnology (ISOM) and Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingenieros Industriales (ETSII), Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM), José Gutierrez Abascal 2, 28006 Madrid, Spain
| | - Daniel Martínez-Fernández
- Institute for Optoelectronic Systems and Microtechnology (ISOM) and Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingenieros Industriales (ETSII), Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM), José Gutierrez Abascal 2, 28006 Madrid, Spain
| | - Miguel Herranz
- Institute for Optoelectronic Systems and Microtechnology (ISOM) and Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingenieros Industriales (ETSII), Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM), José Gutierrez Abascal 2, 28006 Madrid, Spain
| | - Nikos Ch Karayiannis
- Institute for Optoelectronic Systems and Microtechnology (ISOM) and Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingenieros Industriales (ETSII), Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM), José Gutierrez Abascal 2, 28006 Madrid, Spain
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Martínez-Fernández D, Herranz M, Foteinopoulou K, Karayiannis NC, Laso M. Local and Global Order in Dense Packings of Semi-Flexible Polymers of Hard Spheres. Polymers (Basel) 2023; 15:polym15030551. [PMID: 36771852 PMCID: PMC9919756 DOI: 10.3390/polym15030551] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2022] [Revised: 01/16/2023] [Accepted: 01/17/2023] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
The local and global order in dense packings of linear, semi-flexible polymers of tangent hard spheres are studied by employing extensive Monte Carlo simulations at increasing volume fractions. The chain stiffness is controlled by a tunable harmonic potential for the bending angle, whose intensity dictates the rigidity of the polymer backbone as a function of the bending constant and equilibrium angle. The studied angles range between acute and obtuse ones, reaching the limit of rod-like polymers. We analyze how the packing density and chain stiffness affect the chains' ability to self-organize at the local and global levels. The former corresponds to crystallinity, as quantified by the Characteristic Crystallographic Element (CCE) norm descriptor, while the latter is computed through the scalar orientational order parameter. In all cases, we identify the critical volume fraction for the phase transition and gauge the established crystal morphologies, developing a complete phase diagram as a function of packing density and equilibrium bending angle. A plethora of structures are obtained, ranging between random hexagonal closed packed morphologies of mixed character and almost perfect face centered cubic (FCC) and hexagonal close-packed (HCP) crystals at the level of monomers, and nematic mesophases, with prolate and oblate mesogens at the level of chains. For rod-like chains, a delay is observed between the establishment of the long-range nematic order and crystallization as a function of the packing density, while for right-angle chains, both transitions are synchronized. A comparison is also provided against the analogous packings of monomeric and fully flexible chains of hard spheres.
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Herranz M, Foteinopoulou K, Karayiannis NC, Laso M. Polymorphism and Perfection in Crystallization of Hard Sphere Polymers. Polymers (Basel) 2022; 14:polym14204435. [PMID: 36298013 PMCID: PMC9612263 DOI: 10.3390/polym14204435] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2022] [Revised: 10/12/2022] [Accepted: 10/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
We present results on polymorphism and perfection, as observed in the spontaneous crystallization of freely jointed polymers of hard spheres, obtained in an unprecedentedly long Monte Carlo (MC) simulation on a system of 54 chains of 1000 monomers. Starting from a purely amorphous configuration, after an initial dominance of the hexagonal closed packed (HCP) polymorph and a transitory random hexagonal close packed (rHCP) morphology, the system crystallizes in a final, stable, face centered cubic (FCC) crystal of very high perfection. An analysis of chain conformational characteristics, of the spatial distribution of monomers and of the volume accessible to them shows that the phase transition is caused by an increase in translational entropy that is larger than the loss of conformational entropy of the chains in the crystal, compared to the amorphous state. In spite of the significant local re-arrangements, as reflected in the bending and torsion angle distributions, the average chain size remains unaltered during crystallization. Polymers in the crystal adopt ideal random walk statistics as their great length renders local conformational details, imposed by the geometry of the FCC crystal, irrelevant.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Nikos Ch. Karayiannis
- Correspondence: (N.C.K.); (M.L.); Tel.: +34-910677318 (N.C.K.); +34-910677320 (M.L.)
| | - Manuel Laso
- Correspondence: (N.C.K.); (M.L.); Tel.: +34-910677318 (N.C.K.); +34-910677320 (M.L.)
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Ramos PM, Herranz M, Martínez-Fernández D, Foteinopoulou K, Laso M, Karayiannis NC. Crystallization of Flexible Chains of Tangent Hard Spheres under Full Confinement. J Phys Chem B 2022; 126:5931-5947. [PMID: 35904560 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.2c03424] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
We present results from extensive Monte Carlo simulations on the crystallization of athermal polymers under full confinement. Polymers are represented as freely jointed chains of tangent hard spheres of uniform size. Confinement is applied through the presence of flat, parallel, and impenetrable walls in all dimensions. We analyze crystallization as the summation of two contributions: one that occurs in the bulk volume of the system (bulk crystallization), and one on the wall surfaces (surface crystallization). Depending on volume fraction initially amorphous (disordered) hard-sphere chain packings transit to the stable crystal phase. The established ordered morphologies consist primarily of hexagonal close-packed (HCP) crystals in the bulk volume and of triangular (TRI) crystals on the surface. As in the case of athermal packings in the bulk (without confinement), a structural competition is observed between the 5-fold local symmetry and the formation of close-packed crystallites. Effectively, the full confinement inside a cube favors the growth of the HCP crystal, as the FCC one is quite incompatible with the imposed spatial constraints. Consequently, we observe the formation of noncompact ordered motifs which grow from the surface to the inner volume of the simulation cell. We further compare the 2D and 3D crystals formed by monomeric hard spheres under the same simulation conditions. Significant differences are observed at low densities that tend to diminish as concentration increases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pablo Miguel Ramos
- Institute for Optoelectronic Systems and Microtechnology (ISOM) and Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingenieros Industriales (ETSII), Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM), José Gutiérrez Abascal 2, 28006 Madrid, Spain
| | - Miguel Herranz
- Institute for Optoelectronic Systems and Microtechnology (ISOM) and Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingenieros Industriales (ETSII), Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM), José Gutiérrez Abascal 2, 28006 Madrid, Spain
| | - Daniel Martínez-Fernández
- Institute for Optoelectronic Systems and Microtechnology (ISOM) and Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingenieros Industriales (ETSII), Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM), José Gutiérrez Abascal 2, 28006 Madrid, Spain
| | - Katerina Foteinopoulou
- Institute for Optoelectronic Systems and Microtechnology (ISOM) and Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingenieros Industriales (ETSII), Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM), José Gutiérrez Abascal 2, 28006 Madrid, Spain
| | - Manuel Laso
- Institute for Optoelectronic Systems and Microtechnology (ISOM) and Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingenieros Industriales (ETSII), Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM), José Gutiérrez Abascal 2, 28006 Madrid, Spain
| | - Nikos Ch Karayiannis
- Institute for Optoelectronic Systems and Microtechnology (ISOM) and Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingenieros Industriales (ETSII), Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM), José Gutiérrez Abascal 2, 28006 Madrid, Spain
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Ramos PM, Herranz M, Foteinopoulou K, Karayiannis NC, Laso M. Entropy-Driven Heterogeneous Crystallization of Hard-Sphere Chains under Unidimensional Confinement. Polymers (Basel) 2021; 13:1352. [PMID: 33919100 PMCID: PMC8122411 DOI: 10.3390/polym13091352] [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: 03/20/2021] [Revised: 04/15/2021] [Accepted: 04/19/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
We investigate, through Monte Carlo simulations, the heterogeneous crystallization of linear chains of tangent hard spheres under confinement in one dimension. Confinement is realized through flat, impenetrable, and parallel walls. A wide range of systems is studied with respect to their average chain lengths (N = 12 to 100) and packing densities (ϕ = 0.50 to 0.61). The local structure is quantified through the Characteristic Crystallographic Element (CCE) norm descriptor. Here, we split the phenomenon into the bulk crystallization, far from the walls, and the projected surface crystallization in layers adjacent to the confining surfaces. Once a critical volume fraction is met, the chains show a phase transition, starting from regions near the hard walls. The established crystal morphologies consist of alternating hexagonal close-packed or face-centered cubic layers with a stacking direction perpendicular to the confining walls. Crystal layer perfection is observed with an increasing concentration. As in the case of the unconstrained phase transition of athermal polymers at high densities, crystal nucleation and growth compete with the formation of sites of a fivefold local symmetry. While surface crystallites show perfection with a predominantly triangular character, the morphologies of square crystals or of a mixed type are also formed. The simulation results show that the rate of perfection of the surface crystallization is not significantly faster than that of the bulk crystallization.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Nikos Ch. Karayiannis
- Institute for Optoelectronic Systems and Microtechnology (ISOM) and Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingenieros Industriales (ETSII), Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM), José Gutierrez Abascal 2, 28006 Madrid, Spain; (P.M.R.); (M.H.); (K.F.); (M.L.)
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Identification of Local Structure in 2-D and 3-D Atomic Systems through Crystallographic Analysis. CRYSTALS 2020. [DOI: 10.3390/cryst10111008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
In the present work, we revise and extend the Characteristic Crystallographic Element (CCE) norm, an algorithm used to simultaneously detect radial and orientational similarity of computer-generated structures with respect to specific reference crystals and local symmetries. Based on the identification of point group symmetry elements, the CCE descriptor is able to gauge local structure with high precision and finely distinguish between competing morphologies. As test cases we use computer-generated monomeric and polymer systems of spherical particles interacting with the hard-sphere and square-well attractive potentials. We demonstrate that the CCE norm is able to detect and differentiate, between others, among: hexagonal close packed (HCP), face centered cubic (FCC), hexagonal (HEX) and body centered cubic (BCC) crystals as well as non-crystallographic fivefold (FIV) local symmetry in bulk 3-D systems; triangular (TRI), square (SQU) and honeycomb (HON) crystals, as well as pentagonal (PEN) local symmetry in thin films of one-layer thickness (2-D systems). The descriptor is general and can be applied to identify the symmetry elements of any point group for arbitrary atomic or particulate system in two or three dimensions, in the bulk or under confinement.
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Herranz M, Santiago M, Foteinopoulou K, Karayiannis NC, Laso M. Crystal, Fivefold and Glass Formation in Clusters of Polymers Interacting with the Square Well Potential. Polymers (Basel) 2020; 12:polym12051111. [PMID: 32414038 PMCID: PMC7285265 DOI: 10.3390/polym12051111] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2020] [Revised: 04/25/2020] [Accepted: 05/06/2020] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
We present results, from Monte Carlo (MC) simulations, on polymer systems of freely jointed chains with spherical monomers interacting through the square well potential. Starting from athermal packings of chains of tangent hard spheres, we activate the square well potential under constant volume and temperature corresponding effectively to instantaneous quenching. We investigate how the intensity and range of pair-wise interactions affected the final morphologies by fixing polymer characteristics such as average chain length and tolerance in bond gaps. Due to attraction chains are brought closer together and they form clusters with distinct morphologies. A wide variety of structures is obtained as the model parameters are systematically varied: weak interactions lead to purely amorphous clusters followed by well-ordered ones. The latter include the whole spectrum of crystal morphologies: from virtually perfect hexagonal close packed (HCP) and face centered cubic (FCC) crystals, to random hexagonal close packed layers of single stacking direction of alternating HCP and FCC layers, to structures of mixed HCP/FCC character with multiple stacking directions and defects in the form of twins. Once critical values of interaction are met, fivefold-rich glassy clusters are formed. We discuss the similarities and differences between energy-driven crystal nucleation in thermal polymer systems as opposed to entropy-driven phase transition in athermal polymer packings. We further calculate the local density of each site, its dependence on the distance from the center of the cluster and its correlation with the crystallographic characteristics of the local environment. The short- and long-range conformations of chains are analyzed as a function of the established cluster morphologies.
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Confined Polymers as Self-Avoiding Random Walks on Restricted Lattices. Polymers (Basel) 2018; 10:polym10121394. [PMID: 30961318 PMCID: PMC6401801 DOI: 10.3390/polym10121394] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2018] [Revised: 12/02/2018] [Accepted: 12/11/2018] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Polymers in highly confined geometries can display complex morphologies including ordered phases. A basic component of a theoretical analysis of their phase behavior in confined geometries is the knowledge of the number of possible single-chain conformations compatible with the geometrical restrictions and the established crystalline morphology. While the statistical properties of unrestricted self-avoiding random walks (SAWs) both on and off-lattice are very well known, the same is not true for SAWs in confined geometries. The purpose of this contribution is (a) to enumerate the number of SAWs on the simple cubic (SC) and face-centered cubic (FCC) lattices under confinement for moderate SAW lengths, and (b) to obtain an approximate expression for their behavior as a function of chain length, type of lattice, and degree of confinement. This information is an essential requirement for the understanding and prediction of entropy-driven phase transitions of model polymer chains under confinement. In addition, a simple geometric argument is presented that explains, to first order, the dependence of the number of restricted SAWs on the type of SAW origin.
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Karayiannis NC, Foteinopoulou K, Laso M. The role of bond tangency and bond gap in hard sphere crystallization of chains. SOFT MATTER 2015; 11:1688-1700. [PMID: 25594158 DOI: 10.1039/c4sm02707h] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
We report results from Monte Carlo simulations on dense packings of linear, freely-jointed chains of hard spheres of uniform size. In contrast to our past studies where bonded spheres along the chain backbone were tangent, in the present work a finite tolerance in the bond is allowed. Bond lengths are allowed to fluctuate in the interval [σ, σ + dl], where σ is the sphere diameter. We find that bond tolerance affects the phase behaviour of hard-sphere chains, especially in the close vicinity of the melting transition. First, a critical dl(crit) exists marking the threshold for crystallization, whose value decreases with increasing volume fraction. Second, bond gaps enhance the onset of phase transition by accelerating crystal nucleation and growth. Finally, bond tolerance has an effect on crystal morphologies: in the tangent limit the majority of structures correspond to stack-faulted random hexagonal close packing (rhcp). However, as bond tolerance increases a wealth of diverse structures can be observed: from single fcc (or hcp) crystallites to random hcp/fcc stackings with multiple directions. By extending the simulations over trillions of MC steps (10(12)) we are able to observe crystal-crystal transitions and perfection even for entangled polymer chains in accordance to the Ostwald's rule of stages in crystal polymorphism. Through simple geometric arguments we explain how the presence of rigid or flexible constraints affects crystallization in general atomic and particulate systems. Based on the present results, it can be concluded that proper tuning of bond gaps and of the connectivity network can be a controlling factor for the phase behaviour of model, polymer-based colloidal and granular systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nikos Ch Karayiannis
- Institute of Optoelectronics and Microsystems (ISOM) and ETSII, Polytechnic University of Madrid (UPM), Madrid, 28028, Spain.
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