Search results for " function"
showing 10 items of 9395 documents
Phase Separation and Nematic Order in Lyotropic Solutions: Two Types of Polymers with Different Stiffnesses in a Common Solvent
2021
The interplay of the isotropic-nematic transition and phase separation in lyotropic solutions of two types of semiflexible macromolecules with pronounced difference in chain stiffness is studied by Density Functional Theory and Molecular Dynamics simulations. While the width of the isotropic-nematic two-phase coexistence region is narrow for solutions with a single type of semiflexible chain, the two-phase coexistence region widens for solutions containing two types of chains with rather disparate stiffness. In the nematic phase, both types of chains contribute to the nematic order, with intermediate values of the order parameter compared to the corresponding single component solutions. As …
The Role of Planarity versus Nonplanarity in the Electronic Communication of TCAQ-Based Push–Pull Chromophores
2018
Donor-acceptor-substituted alkynes, endowed with 11,11,12,12-tetracyano-9,10-anthraquinodimethane (TCAQ) and N,N-dimethylaniline (DMA) units, have been further functionalized by a [2+2] cycloaddition with tetracyanoethylene (TCNE) followed by a subsequent retro-electrocyclization to form distorted nonplanar structures with bridging 1,1,4,4-tetracyanobuta-1,3-diene (TCBD) units. Comprehensive spectroscopic, electrochemical, and computational studies have been carried out to compare the electronic communication in planar (alkyne bridges) and nonplanar (TCBD bridges) TCAQ-based push-pull chromophores. Cyclic voltammetry and UV/Vis absorption measurements confirm the electronic communication be…
Structure and dynamics of dibutylphosphate/n-propylamine ionic liquid: A multi-scale theoretical study
2021
Abstract Owing to the amphiphilic nature of their constituent molecules, binary mixtures of pure liquid surfactants are usually characterized by enhanced nano-segregation and thus can exhibit interesting transport properties and complex macroscopic behavior. In this ambit it was recently shown by Turco Liveri et al. (2018) that mixtures of short aliphatic chains compounds at room temperature, such as dibutyl phosphate (DBP) and n-propylamine (PA) liquids, display ionic liquid–like behavior ascribed to phosphate-to-amine proton transfer. To gain a detailed molecular picture of the system structure and dynamics and to understand the molecular mechanisms at the basis of the observed behavior, …
Interaction of 5‐fluorouracil with β‐cyclodextrin: A density functional theory study with dispersion correction
2020
Detailed studies on the stability, interaction, and microstructure of host‐guest complexes in the vacuum of 5‐fluorouracil (5FU) with β‐cyclodextrin (βCD) were performed using B3LYP with the inclusion of Grimme's dispersion correction GD3 term and 6‐31+G(d,p) basis set. Among several studied 1:1 5FU‐βCD complexes, the one placing the keto tautomer of 5FU vertically in the host cavity and forming N‐H···OCD and CO···HOCD hydrogen bonds with hydroxyl groups of the smaller rim of βCD has the highest stability (Eint = −195 kJ/mol). Interestingly, there are no interactions with the inner hydrophobic part of the βCD host cavity. The strength of the intermolecular H‐bonds to the smaller rim of βC…
Dynamics of weak interactions in the ligand layer of meta-mercaptobenzoic acid protected gold nanoclusters Au68(m-MBA)32 and Au144(m-MBA)40
2020
Atomically precise metal nanoclusters, stabilized and functionalized by organic ligands, are emerging nanomaterials with potential applications in plasmonics, nano-electronics, bio-imaging, nanocatalysis, and as therapeutic agents or drug carriers in nanomedicine. The ligand layer has an important role in modifying the physico-chemical properties of the clusters and in defining the interactions between the clusters and the environment. While this role is well recognized from a great deal of experimental studies, there is very little theoretical information on dynamical processes within the layer itself. Here, we have performed extensive molecular dynamics simulations, with forces calculated…
Photon correlation spectroscopy to study the dynamics of α- and β-relaxation in amorphous poly(Alkylmethacrylates) above Tg
2008
A short survey of the underlying principles of isotropic light scattering from amorphous bulk polymers is given. The interrelation between the time dependent longitudinal compliance and the autocorrelation function of density fluctuations is briefly reviewed and a comparison with poly(vinylacetate) PVAc is presented. For four poly-(alkylmethacrylates) - poly(methylmethacrylate) PMMA, poly(ethylmethacrylate) PEMA, poly(n-butylmethacrylate) PBMA and poly(n-hexylmethacrylate) PHMA - the results of photon spectroscopic studies are given and discussed in terms of the occurrence of primary and secondary relaxation processes within the accessible time range of the experiment.
Structure of bottle-brush brushes under good solvent conditions: a molecular dynamics study.
2011
We report a simulation study for bottle-brush polymers grafted on a rigid backbone. Using a standard coarse-grained bead-spring model extensive molecular dynamics simulations for such macromolecules under good solvent conditions are performed. We consider a broad range of parameters and present numerical results for the monomer density profile, density of the untethered ends of the grafted flexible backbones and the correlation function describing the range that neighboring grafted bottle-brushes are affected by the presence of the others due to the excluded volume interactions. The end beads of the flexible backbones of the grafted bottle-brushes do not access the region close to the rigid…
Correlations of the nonexponentiality and state dependence of mechanical relaxations with bond connectivity in Ge-As-Se supercooled liquids
1992
We have studied the mechanical responses of supercooled Ge-As-Se liquids to flexural strains and temperature steps. The departures from exponential relaxation correlate well with the variations in connectivity. The structural state dependence of the mechanical relaxation, detected in pure and weakly cross-linked Se, is suppressed completely at the rigidity percolation threshold {l angle}{ital r}{sub {ital c}}{r angle}, where the liquid fragility is a minimum. The shapes of the decay functions of samples with the same {l angle}{ital r}{sub {ital c}}{r angle} but different compositions are not universal at {ital T}{sub {ital g}} probably because of chemical effects near the binary edges of th…
Spatial and short-term temporal variations in runoff, soil aggregation and other soil properties along a Mediterranean Climatological Gradient.
1998
Abstract Physical and chemical soil properties were measured along a mountainous climatological gradient in the province of Alicante (Spain). The objective was to evaluate how the climate affects certain soil properties at different temporal and spatial scales. These properties include infiltration, runoff and sediment concentrations resulting from rainfall simulation experiments performed in winter and in summer. Chemical soil properties like carbonate content, organic matter content and CEC were analysed in reference soil profiles along the gradient. Physical soil properties like soil moisture content, macroaggregation and waterstable microaggregation were measured at monthly intervals du…
MODIFICATION OF HUMIC SUBSTANCES FOR DEVELOPMENT OF MATERIALS FOR ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGIES
2019
Humic substances are high molecular weight refractory polycationites formed during decay of living organic matter and through biosynthesis of low molecular weight organic substances (metabolites or decay products of living organisms). Presence of many functional groups in the structure of humic substances determines their ability to interact with metal ions forming stable complexes and influencing metal ion speciation in the environment and mobility, behaviour and speciation forms in the environment. Presently humic substances are a product of industrial scale and quantities in amounts of hundreds of tons are produced. The aim of this study is to analyse derivatization possibilities of humi…