Search results for "Interfaces."
showing 10 items of 1252 documents
Anisotropic Stick-slip friction of highly oriented thin films of poly(tetrafluoroethylene) at the molecular level
1996
Lateral force microscopy (LFM) studies of poly(tetrafluoroethylene) (PTFE) films with molecular resolution are reported. Thin PTFE layers with a high degree of orientation were obtained by pressing and sliding a block of polymer on a clean, heated muscovite mica substrate. LFM nanographs obtained on these films by scanning at directions between ca. 40 and 90° with respect to the film orientation direction, i.e. with respect to the direction of the polymer chains, showed a “stick-slip” type frictional motion of the LFM probe tip at the molecular level. The friction force observed at constant load decreased with decreasing scan angles. Chain-chain packing distances obtained by LFM and contact…
Scaling concepts for polymer brushes and their test with computer simulation
2004
After a brief review of the scaling concepts for static and dynamic properties of polymer brushes in good solvents and Theta solvents, the Monte Carlo evidence is discussed. It is shown that under typical conditions the diameter of the last blob is of the order of 10-20% of the brush height, and therefore pronounced deviations from the self-consistent field predictions occur. In bad solvents, lateral microphase separation occurs leading to an irregular pattern of "dimples". Particularly interesting is the response of brushes to shear deformation, and the interaction between two interpenetrating brushes. Recent attempts to understand the resulting shear forces via molecular-dynamics simulati…
Molecular modeling studies of interactions between sodium polyacrylate polymer and calcite surface
2013
Abstract The interactions between calcite pigment and sodium polyacrylate dispersing agent, widely used in papermaking as paper coating components, were investigated using classical force field and quantum chemical approaches. The objective was to understand interactions between the calcite surface and sodium polyacrylate polymer at 300 K using molecular dynamics simulations. A quantum mechanical ab initio Hartree–Fock method was also used to obtain detailed information about the sodium polyacrylate polymer structure. The effect of water molecules (moisture) on the interactions was also examined. Calculations showed that molecular weight, branching and the orientation of sodium polyacrylate…
Frictional Drag Mechanisms between Polymer-Bearing Surfaces
2001
The fundamental features of friction between two polymer-bearing surfaces in relative sliding motion are investigated by molecular dynamics simulation. Adsorbed and grafted polymers are considered in good and bad solutions. The solvent is not treated explicitly but indirectly in terms of a Langevin thermostat. In both systems, we observe shear thinning that is attributed to an orientation of the radius of gyration along the sliding direction. This effect is particularly strong for surfaces bearing polymer brushes. In this case, the shear stresses are mainly determined by the degree of the interpenetration of brushes.
Photoinduced electron transfer in molecular organizates at the gas-water interface
1994
Abstract The influence of the molecular geometry is of fundamental importance for a better understanding of the photoinduced electron transfer mechanism. Because of their typical molecular structures, cyclophane rings have proved to be suitable for this purpose as electron acceptor molecules adsorbed under an amphiphile monolayer. We used a pyrene-labelled phospholipid derivative both as molecular anchor for the cyclophane ring and electron donor molecule. The co-spreading technique was used to prepare the complex monolayers. Surface pressure and surface potential measurements have indicated similar monolayer behaviour as with dimyristoylphosphatidic acid as anchor molecule, leading to the …
On the tribology and rheology of polymer brushes in good solvent conditions: a molecular dynamics study
2003
Tribological and rheological properties of two polymer brushes in relative sliding motion and good solvent conditions are investigated by means of molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. The lateral forces between the brushes are found to decrease logarithmically with increasing relative sliding velocity v0 over a range of more than one decade in v0. We also observe an almost logarithmic relaxation of the end-to-end distance vector that occurs after sliding is stopped. The coincidence of these logarithmic dependencies support the picture that friction between polymer brushes is small due to the retraction of the polymers from the interpenetration zone. The shear stress relaxes almost instantly…
Impact of aggregates on excitation dynamics in transparent polymer films doped by dipolar molecules
2008
Abstract Optical properties of transparent polymer films of polymethylmethacrylate doped (up to 25 wt.%) by dipolar N , N -dimethylaminobenzylidene 1,3-indandione (DMABI) molecules were studied. Formation of DMABI nanocrystallites, increasing in their density and size with dopant concentration, was revealed by optical microscopy. Transformation of the fluorescence spectrum from the molecular-like emission (for the low dopant concentration below 1 wt.%) to highly red-shifted fluorescence corresponding to self-trapped excitons in the crystallites was observed. It was shown, that due to the resonant energy transfer in the blend, the DMABI nanocrystals can serve as efficient fluorescence marker…
Polysarcosine-containing copolymers: Synthesis, characterization, self-assembly, and applications
2018
Although the first polysarcosine (pSar) synthesis by Wesseley et al. was reported almost a century ago, it was only recently that pSar gained broader attention and is considered a potential alternative of poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG). In contrast to polyethers, such as PEG, pSar is a polypeptoid based on the amino acid sarcosine, i.e. N-methylated glycine. As a polymer, pSar combines PEG-like properties, e.g., excellent solubility in water, protein resistance, low cellular toxicity and a non-immunogenic character, while being based on endogenous material. Sarcosine can be obtained in a simple one-step reaction of bromoacetic acid and methylamine, easily transferred into the sarcosine N-(thio…
The influence of counterions and hydrophobic moieties on the thermostability of Langmuir-Blodgett multilayers
1994
Abstract Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) multilayers with various counterions and different organic moieties (one- and two-chain fatty acids, polymeric acid) are prepared to investigate on line temperature-dependent structural changes and desorption by small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), interference-enhanced reflection and Nomarsky microscopy. On temperature increase a sequence of phase transitions can be observed. A crystalline LB film melts to a fluid phase and eventually desorbs either from droplets or from a homogeneous film. The phase sequence depends on the counterion: nickel stearate and magnesium stearate melt while the layered structure is conserved; SAXS measurements reveal a continuous,…
Monolayers of Bolaform Amphiphiles: Influence of Alkyl Chain Length and Counterions
1994
We have prepared self-assembled monolayers of novel cationic bolaform amphiphiles on negatively charged substrates. Most of these amphiphiles form smooth, defect-free monolayers which can be used to reverse the substrate surface charge and thus allow subsequent adsorption of anionic molecules and construction of multilayers. Atomic force microscopy, surface force measurement, and surface plasmon spectroscopy were combined to probe the molecular orientation and ordering, mechanical properties, and surface electrical properties of the monolayers. In addition, the amphiphile aggregation behavior at an air-water interface was studied by surface tension measurement, and lyotropic phase behavior …