Search results for "COPI"

2021

Water-in-salt systems, i.e., super-concentrated aqueous electrolytes, such as lithium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide (21 mol/kgwater), have been recently discovered to exhibit unexpectedly large electrochemical windows and high lithium transference numbers, thus paving the way to safe and sustainable charge storage devices. The peculiar transport features in these electrolytes are influenced by their intrinsically nanoseparated morphology, stemming from the anion hydrophobic nature and manifesting as nanosegregation between anions and water domains. The underlying mechanism behind this structure-dynamics correlation is, however, still a matter of strong debate. Here, we enhance the apol…

Dynamics-based assessment of nanoscopic polymer-network mesh structures and their defects.

2018

Polymer-network gels often exhibit complex nanoscopic architectures. First, the polymer-network mesh topology on scales of 1–10 nm is usually not uniform and regular, but disordered and irregular. Second, on top of that, many swollen polymer networks display spatial inhomogeneity of their polymer segmental density and crosslinking density on scales of 10–100 nm. This multi-scale structural complexity affects the permeability, mechanical strength, and optical clarity of the polymer gels, which is of central relevance for their performance in popular applications. As a result, there is a need to characterize the polymer network structures on multiple scales. On the scale of the spatial inhomo…

Random-strain-field effects on the low-temperature state of KCN

1991

Random strain fields have been introduced into samples of KCN by pressing pellets from powder and by thermal cycling. X-ray diffractograms show that the low-temperature structure depends strongly on the sample history. In some cycles the noncubic low-temperature phases have been suppressed in mesoscopic surface regions of the samples and the quadrupolar-glass state formed instead.

Mesoscopic gel at low agarose concentration in water: a dynamic light scattering study

1995

Previous work in our laboratory has shown that at very low agarose concentration in water gelation still occurs within mutually disconnected, high concentration regions generated by spinodal demixing. The freely diffusing particles obtained in these conditions are studied in the present work by depolarized dynamic light scattering and probe diffusion experiments. These particles are found to behave as large (in fact, mesoscopic) polymer fibers entangled in a continuously rearranged mesh with scaling parameters typical of partially flexible, neutral chains. The present results allow specifying the notion of mesoscopic gelation. They also reveal that the same symmetry-breaking mechanism that …

Structure and morphology of liquid-crystalline polymers

2007

Liquid-crystalline phases are characterized by structures intermediate between a three-dimensionally ordered crystal and a disordered fluid. Polymers with liquid-crystalline structures can be obtained from specific monomers containing mesogenic groups with a tendency to form liquid-crystalline phases. These mesogenic groups are either incorporated into the main chain or attached to a chain as side groups. In both cases liquid-crystalline structures, and also enantiotropic liquid-crystalline phases, have been reported. Smectic polymers are characterized by layered structures with long-range order in the direction of the layer normal and two-dimensional short-range order within the layers. Th…

Numerical model for composite material with polymer matrix reinforced by carbon nanotubes

2008

Due to the high stiffness and strength, as well as their ability to act as conductors, carbon nanotubes are under intense investigation as fillers in polymeric materials. The nature of the carbon nanotube/polymer bonding and the curvature of the carbon nanotubes within the polymer have arisen as particular factors in the efficacy of the carbon nanotubes to actually provide any enhanced stiffness or strength to the nanocomposite. Here the effects of carbon nanotube curvature and interface interaction with the matrix on the nanocomposite stiffness are investigated using nanomechanical analysis. In particular, the effects of poor bonding and thus poor shear lag load transfer to the carbon nano…

Interaction in POSS-poly(ethylene-co-acrylic acid) nanocomposites

2013

Use of polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS) in polymer-based nanocomposites is promising for the design of high-performance materials for several applications. In this study, nanocomposites based on ethylene-acrylic acid (EAA) copolymer and POSS molecules were prepared by melt mixing. In particular, partial cage POSS with different pendent organic groups was used to investigate the interaction between the –OH groups of POSS and the acrylic functionalities of the matrix. All nanocomposites were characterized by mechanical, rheological, thermal and spectroscopic analyses. In addition, PE-POSS compounds were prepared under the same processing conditions for sake of comparison. The POSS …

Photoluminescence waveguiding in CdSe and CdTe QDs–PMMA nanocomposite films

2011

In this paper, active planar waveguides based on the incorporation of CdSe and CdTe nanocrystal quantum dots in a polymer matrix are demonstrated. In the case of doping the polymer with both types of quantum dots, the nanocomposite film guides both emitted colors, green (550 nm, CdTe) and orange (600 nm, CdSe). The optical pumping laser can be coupled not only with a standard end-fire coupling system, but also directing the beam to the surface of the sample, indicating a good absorption cross-section and waveguide properties. To achieve these results, a study of the nanocomposite optical properties as a function of the nanocrystal concentration is presented and the optimum conditions are fo…

Nanostructure carbon black-polyisoprene composites as prospective strain sensor materials: macro- and nanoscale studies

2002

Nanostructured carbon black-polyisoprene composite is prepared and investigated. A giant reversible tensoresistive effect -- dependence of electrical resistance vs. uniaxial tension deformation - is found. A new application of the conductive atomic force microscope for the carbon black network mapping in a nonconducting matrix is reported.

Dielectrophoresis as a tool for nanoscale DNA manipulation

2005

The use of the dielectrophoresis as a tool for DNA manipulation is demonstrated experimentally, using both unmodified 48,500 base pairs long bacteriophage lambda dsDNA (λ-DNA), ∼16 μm in length and 414 base pairs long thiol modified natural dsDNA (avDNA), ∼140 nm in length. We show that both the dsDNA types used, are effectively directed between the planar gold electrodes by the positive dielectrophoresis while applying an AC voltage at frequencies between 500 kHz and 1 MHz. With high concentrations of dsDNA in buffer the attached dsDNA molecules are shown to form bundles or clumps (both λ-DNA and avDNA). Furthermore, we demonstrate the attaching of a single avDNA molecule to an electrode v…