Search results for "SOFT MATTER"
showing 10 items of 54 documents
Polymer-enforced crystallization of a eutectic binary hard sphere mixture
2010
We prepared a buoyancy matched binary mixture of polydisperse polystyrene microgel spheres of size ratio 0.785 and at a volume fraction of 0.567 just below the kinetic glass transition. In line with theoretical expectations, a eutectic phase behavior was observed, but only a minor fraction of the samples crystallized at all. By adding a short non-adsorbing polymer we enforce inter-species fractionation into coexisting pure component crystals, which in turn also shows signs of intra-species fractionation. We show that in formerly inaccessible regions of the phase diagram binary hard sphere physics is made observable using attractive hard spheres. Ancillary files: Correction to Soft Matter 20…
Spherical microgel colloids - Hard spheres from soft matter
1998
While gels are usually considered to be soft materials, we demonstrate that it is possible to model hard sphere behaviour when the gel structure is confined to spherical objects of sizes in the colloidal range. We have measured the static structure factor of microgel spheres dispersed in good solvents, differing in size, crosslink density and swelling behaviour, by light scattering and small angle neutron scattering. Comparing with theoretical calculations for polydisperse hard spheres we show how the interactions in highly concentrated dispersions of spherical microgel colloids are determined by an interplay of the relative length of dangling polymer ends at the surface (determined by the …
Simultaneous photonic and excitonic coupling in spherical quantum dot supercrystals
2020
Semiconductor nanocrystals, or quantum dots (QDs), simultaneously benefit from inexpensive low-temperature solution processing and exciting photophysics, making them the ideal candidates for next-generation solar cells and photodetectors. While the working principles of these devices rely on light absorption, QDs intrinsically belong to the Rayleigh regime and display optical behavior limited to electric dipole resonances, resulting in low absorption efficiencies. Increasing the absorption efficiency of QDs, together with their electronic and excitonic coupling to enhance charge carrier mobility, is therefore of critical importance to enable practical applications. Here, we demonstrate a ge…
Elastic Properties and Line Tension of Self-Assembled Bilayer Membranes
2013
The elastic properties of a self-assembled bilayer membrane are studied using the self-consistent field theory, applied to a model system composed of flexible amphiphilic chains dissolved in hydrophilic polymeric solvents. Examining the free energy of bilayer membranes with different geometries allows us to calculate their bending modulus, Gaussian modulus, two fourth-order membrane moduli, and the line tension. The dependence of these parameters on the microscopic characteristics of the amphiphilic chain, characterized by the volume fraction of the hydrophilic component, is systematically studied. The theoretical predictions are compared with the results from a simple monolayer model, whic…
Helix Inversion Controlled by Molecular Motors in Multistate Liquid Crystals.
2020
Unravelling the rules of molecular motion is a contemporary challenge that promises to support the development of responsive materials and is likely to enhance the understanding of functional motion. Advances in integrating light‐driven molecular motors in soft matter have led to the design and realization of chiral nematic (cholesteric) liquid crystals that can respond to light with modification of their helical pitch, and also with helix inversion. Under illumination, these chiral liquid crystals convert from one helical geometry to another. Here, a series of light‐driven molecular motors that feature a rich configurational landscape is presented, specifically which involves three stable …
Rational design of ABC triblock terpolymer solution nanostructures with controlled patch morphology
2016
Block copolymers self-assemble into a variety of nanostructures that are relevant for science and technology. While the assembly of diblock copolymers is largely understood, predicting the solution assembly of triblock terpolymers remains challenging due to complex interplay of block/block and block/solvent interactions. Here we provide guidelines for the self-assembly of linear ABC triblock terpolymers into a large variety of multicompartment nanostructures with C corona and A/B cores. The ratio of block lengths NC/NA thereby controls micelle geometry to spheres, cylinders, bilayer sheets and vesicles. The insoluble blocks then microphase separate to core A and surface patch B, where NB co…
Correction: Seedless assembly of colloidal crystals by inverted micro-fluidic pumping.
2018
Correction for ‘Seedless assembly of colloidal crystals by inverted micro-fluidic pumping’ by Ran Niu et al., Soft Matter, 2018, 14, 3435–3442.
Shear-Thinning in Oligomer Melts—Molecular Origins and Applications
2021
We investigate the molecular origin of shear-thinning in melts of flexible, semiflexible and rigid oligomers with coarse-grained simulations of a sheared melt. Entanglements, alignment, stretching and tumbling modes or suppression of the latter all contribute to understanding how macroscopic flow properties emerge from the molecular level. In particular, we identify the rise and decline of entanglements with increasing chain stiffness as the major cause for the non-monotonic behaviour of the viscosity in equilibrium and at low shear rates, even for rather small oligomeric systems. At higher shear rates, chains align and disentangle, contributing to shear-thinning. By performing simulations …
Self-assembly of semiflexible polymers confined to thin spherical shells
2018
Confinement effects are critical for stiff macromolecules in biological cells, vesicles, and other systems in soft matter. For these molecules, the competition between the packing entropy and the enthalpic cost of bending is further shaped by strong confinement effects. Through coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulations, we explore the self-assembly of semiflexible polymers confined in thin spherical shells for various chain lengths, chain stiffnesses, and shell thicknesses. Here, we focus on the case where the contour and persistence length of the polymers are comparable to the radius of the confining cavity. The range of ordered structures is analyzed using several order parameters to …
Structural, Spectroscopic and Electrical Features of Undoped and Mn Doped LiTi2(PO4)3
2010
The study of the ionic conducting material LiTi2(PO 4)3 and of its Mn-substituted derivate reveals that the Mn distribution is strictly related to the synthetic method. The results of the structural refinement of X-ray and neutron (ToF) powder diffraction data and of XPS analysis demonstrate that Mn2+ ions are located on the lithium octahedral site, while Mn3+ and Mn4+ ions occupy the titanium ones. The Mn2+ amount on the lithium site seems to be the main factor responsible for the conductivity decrease observed in doped samples. The EPR spectra evidence clustering effects of Mn on both Li and Ti sites and the presence of more insulated Mn2+ ions. The effect of the major Mn amount on Ti sit…