Search results for "surface"
showing 10 items of 9345 documents
Unmixing of Polymer Blends Confined in Ultrathin Films: Crossover between Two-Dimensional and Three-Dimensional Behavior
2006
The interplay between chain conformations and phase separation in binary symmetric polymer mixtures confined into thin films by "neutral" hard walls (i.e., walls that do not preferentially attract or repel one of the two components of the mixture) is studied by Monte Carlo simulations. Using the bond fluctuation model on a simple cubic lattice in the semi grand canonical ensemble, we locate the critical temperature of demixing via finite size scaling methods for a wide range of chain lengths (16/= N/= 256 effective monomers per chain) and film thicknesses (2/= D/= 19 lattice spacings). Simultaneously, we investigate the geometrical structure of the chains, showing that despite using melt de…
Halloysite Nanotubes for Cleaning, Consolidation and Protection
2017
Herein, we report our recent research concerning the development of halloysite based protocols for cleaning, consolidation and protection purposes. Surface modification of halloysite cavity by anionic surfactants was explored to fabricate inorganic micelles able to solubilize hydrophobic contaminants. Hybrid dispersions based on halloysite and ecocompatible polymers were tested as consolidants for paper and waterlogged archaeological woods. Encapsulation of deacidifying and flame retardant agents within the halloysite lumen was conducted with aim to obtain nanofiller with a long-term protection ability. The results prove the suitability and versatility of halloysite nanotubes, which are per…
A fluorinated 2D magnetic coordination polymer
2021
Herein we show the versatility of coordination chemistry to design and expand a family of 2D materials by incorporating F groups at the surface of the layers. Through the use of a prefuntionalized organic linker with F groups, it is possible to achieve a layered magnetic material based on Fe(ii) centers that are chemically stable in open air, contrary to the known 2D inorganic magnetic materials. The high quality of the single crystals and their robustness allow to fabricate 2D molecular materials by micromechanical exfoliation, preserving the crystalline nature of these layers together with the desired functionalization.
Electrical Voltage Control of the Pressure-Induced Spin Transition at Room Temperature in the Microporous 3D Polymer [Fe(pz)Pt(CN)4]
2019
Fine control and direct monitoring of the spin crossover properties driven by pressure at room temperature are reported for the porous three-dimensional coordination polymer {Fe(pz)[Pt(CN)4]} by us...
Photocleavable microcapsules built from photoreactive nanospheres.
2005
We show how photo-cross-linking of nanoparticles within the micrometer-sized thin oil shell of water-oil-water emulsion droplets leads to a new species of optically addressable microcontainers. The inner water droplet of these emulsions may contain drugs, dyes, or other water-soluble components, leading to filled containers. The thickness, mechanical stability, and light resistance of the container walls can be controlled in a simple way by the amount and adjustable photoreactivity of the nanoparticles. Importantly, the chemical bonds between the nanoparticles constituting the microcapsule shell can be cleaved photochemically by irradiation with UV light. This optically controlled destructi…
Interfacial Assembly and Jamming Behavior of Polymeric Janus Particles at Liquid Interfaces
2017
The self-assembly and interfacial jamming of spherical Janus nanoparticles (JNPs) at the water/oil interface were investigated. Polymeric JNPs, made by cross-linking polystyrene-block-polybutadiene-block-poly(methyl methacrylate) (PS-PB-PMMA), with a high interfacial activity assemble at the water/oil interface. During the self-assembly at the interface, the interfacial energy was reduced and a dynamic interlayer was observed that is responsive to the pH of the aqueous phase. Unlike hard particles, the JNPs are composed of polymer chains that can spread at the liquid-liquid interface to maximize coverage at relatively low areal densities. In a pendant drop geometry, the interfacial area of …
Perovskite solar cells prepared by flash evaporation
2015
A simple vacuum deposition method for the preparation of high quality hybrid organic-inorganic methylammonium lead iodide perovskite thin films is reported. When sandwiched in between organic charge transporting layers, such films lead to solar cells with a power conversion efficiency of 12.2%.
Solvent Determines Nature of Effective Interactions between Nanoparticles in Polymer Brushes
2015
We study the effective interaction between two parallel rod-like nanoparticles in swollen and collapsed polymer brushes as a function of penetration depth by 2D self-consistent field calculations. In vertical direction, the interaction is always attractive. In lateral direction, the behavior under good and poor solvent conditions is qualitatively different. In swollen brushes (good solvent), nanoparticles always repel each other. In collapsed brushes (poor solvent), we identify two different regimes: an immersed regime, where the nanoparticles are fully surrounded by the brush, and an interfacial regime, where they are located in the interface between brush and solvent. In the immersed regi…
Affinity Distributions of a Molecularly Imprinted Polymer Calculated Numerically by the Expectation-Maximization Method
2003
Affinity distributions are calculated from adsorption isotherm data obtained for the enantiomers of L- and D-phenylalanine anilide (PA) on native and thermally annealed polymers molecularly imprinted with L-PA. The calculation is obtained with an iterative algorithm called expectation-maximization that does not require prior fit of the data to an isotherm model before inversion and thus yields a distribution indicative of the data only. The results show bimodal distributions, suggestive of a two-site model describing relatively selective and nonselective adsorption modes of the L-enantiomer and a corresponding unimodal/nonselective adsorption mode for the D-enantiomer. The nonselective adso…
Conformation of Polyethylene Glycol inside Confined Space: Simulation and Experimental Approaches
2021
The modification of the inner nanopore wall by polymers is currently used to change the specific properties of the nanosystem. Among them, the polyethylene glycol (PEG) is the most used to prevent the fouling and ensure the wettability. However, its properties depend mainly on the chain structure that is very difficult to estimate inside this confined space. Combining experimental and simulation approaches, we provide an insight to the consequence of the PEG presence inside the nanopore on the nanopore properties. We show, in particular, that the cation type in the electrolyte, together with the type of electrolyte (water or urea), is at the origin of the ion transport modification in the n…