0000000000682069
AUTHOR
A. Halperin
Grafted Rods: A Tilting Phase Transition
A tilting phase transition is predicted for systems comprising rod like molecules which are irreversibly grafted to a flat surface, so that the non interacting rods are perpendicularly oriented. The transition is controlled by the grafting density $\rho$. It occurs as $\rho$ increases as a result of the interplay between two energies. Tilt is favoured by the van-der-Waals attraction between the rods. It is opposed by the bending elasticity of the grafting functionality. The role of temperature is discussed, and the tilting mechanism is compared to other tilting transitions reported in the literature.
Triblock copolymers, mesogels and deformation behavior in poor solvents
A fundamental distinction between the mesophases formed by ABA triblock copolymers and by AB diblock copolymers is the bridging of A domains by B blocks. The ABA mesophases form physically crosslinked networks characterized by non-uniform spatial distribution of high-functionality crosslinks. The swelling of these networks by selective solvents gives rise to novel "mesogels". Three theoretical aspects of these systems, focusing on the lamellar case, are considered: i) The SCF theory of the equilibrium fraction of bridging chains in mesophases formed by a melt of ABA triblock copolymers. ii) The swelling equilibrium and the deformation behavior of mesogels swollen by a selective solvent for …