1
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Mims JT, Tsuna L, Spangler EJ, Laradji M. Nanoparticles insertion and dimerization in polymer brushes. J Chem Phys 2024; 160:084906. [PMID: 38415837 DOI: 10.1063/5.0188915] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2023] [Accepted: 01/28/2024] [Indexed: 02/29/2024] Open
Abstract
Molecular dynamics simulations are conducted to systematically investigate the insertion of spherical nanoparticles (NPs) in polymer brushes as a function of their size, strength of their interaction with the polymers, polymer grafting density, and polymer chain length. For attractive interactions between the NPs and the polymers, the depth of NPs' penetration in the brush results from a competition between the enthalpic gain due to the favorable polymer-NP interaction and the effect of osmotic pressure resulting from displaced polymers by the NP's volume. A large number of simulations show that the average depth of the NPs increases by increasing the strength of the interaction strength. However, it decreases by increasing the NPs' diameter or increasing the polymer grafting density. While the NPs' effect on the polymer density is local, their effect on their conformations is long-ranged and extends laterally over length scales larger than the NP's size. This effect is manifested by the emergence of laterally damped oscillations in the normal component of the chains' radius of gyration. Interestingly, we found that for high enough interaction strength, two NPs dimerize in the polymer brush. The dimer is parallel to the substrate if the NPs' depth in the brush is shallow. However, the dimer is perpendicular to the substrate if the NPs' are deep in the brush. These results imply that polymer brushes can be used as a tool to localize and self-assemble NPs in polymer brushes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacob T Mims
- Department of Physics and Materials Science, The University of Memphis, Memphis, Tennessee 38152, USA
| | - Lavi Tsuna
- Department of Physics and Materials Science, The University of Memphis, Memphis, Tennessee 38152, USA
| | - Eric J Spangler
- Department of Physics and Materials Science, The University of Memphis, Memphis, Tennessee 38152, USA
| | - Mohamed Laradji
- Department of Physics and Materials Science, The University of Memphis, Memphis, Tennessee 38152, USA
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2
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Yagasaki T, Matubayasi N. Molecular Dynamics Study of the Antifouling Mechanism of Hydrophilic Polymer Brushes. LANGMUIR : THE ACS JOURNAL OF SURFACES AND COLLOIDS 2023; 39:13158-13168. [PMID: 37672759 DOI: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.3c01552] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/08/2023]
Abstract
We perform all-atom molecular dynamics simulations of the adsorption of amino acid side-chain analogues on polymer brushes. The analogues examined are nonpolar isobutane, polar propionamide, negatively charged propionate ion, and positively charged butylammonium ion. The polymer brushes consist of a sheet of graphene and strongly hydrophilic poly(carboxybetaine methacrylate) (PCBMA) or weakly hydrophilic poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) (PHEMA). The effective interactions between isobutane and polymer chains are repulsive for PCBMA and attractive for PHEMA. Gibbs energy decomposition analysis shows that this is due to the abundance of water in the PCBMA brush, which increases the steric repulsion and decreases the Lennard-Jones attraction. The affinity of the hydrophilic analogues is low for both PCBMA and PHEMA chains, but the balance between the components of the Gibbs energy is different for the two polymers. The simulations are performed at several θ, where θ is the degree of overlap of polymer chains. The antifouling performance against the neutral analogues is better for PCBMA than for PHEMA in the low and high θ regimes. However, in the middle θ regime, the antifouling performance of PHEMA is close to or better than that of PCBMA. This is attributed to the formation of a dense layer of PHEMA on the graphene surface that inhibits direct adsorption of analogue molecules on graphene. The charged analogues do not bind to either the PHEMA or PCBMA brush irrespective of θ.
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Affiliation(s)
- Takuma Yagasaki
- Division of Chemical Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering Science, Osaka University, Toyonaka 560-8531, Japan
| | - Nobuyuki Matubayasi
- Division of Chemical Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering Science, Osaka University, Toyonaka 560-8531, Japan
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3
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Yagasaki T, Matubayasi N. Molecular dynamics study of the interactions between a hydrophilic polymer brush on graphene and amino acid side chain analogues in water. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2022; 24:22877-22888. [PMID: 36124732 DOI: 10.1039/d2cp03112d] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
We perform all-atom molecular dynamics simulations of poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) (PHEMA) brushes in aqueous solutions of isobutane, propionamide, and sodium propionate. These solutes are side chain analogues to leucine, glutamine, and glutamic acid, respectively. We compute the Gibbs energy profile of the solute's adsorption to the polymer brush and decompose it into the contributions from the steric repulsion, van der Waals interaction, and Coulomb interaction to reveal the energetic origin of repulsion or attraction of the solute by the polymer brush. The Henry adsorption constant is the amount of adsorption normalized by the concentration in aqueous solution. We examine the dependence of this quantity on the grafting density and chain length. Our results suggest that the concurrent primary and ternary adsorption mechanism may be more important than previously expected when the solute is hydrophobic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Takuma Yagasaki
- Division of Chemical Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering Science, Osaka University, Toyonaka 560-8531, Japan.
| | - Nobuyuki Matubayasi
- Division of Chemical Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering Science, Osaka University, Toyonaka 560-8531, Japan.
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4
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Durmaz EN, Sahin S, Virga E, de Beer S, de Smet LCPM, de Vos WM. Polyelectrolytes as Building Blocks for Next-Generation Membranes with Advanced Functionalities. ACS APPLIED POLYMER MATERIALS 2021; 3:4347-4374. [PMID: 34541543 PMCID: PMC8438666 DOI: 10.1021/acsapm.1c00654] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2021] [Accepted: 08/10/2021] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
The global society is in a transition, where dealing with climate change and water scarcity are important challenges. More efficient separations of chemical species are essential to reduce energy consumption and to provide more reliable access to clean water. Here, membranes with advanced functionalities that go beyond standard separation properties can play a key role. This includes relevant functionalities, such as stimuli-responsiveness, fouling control, stability, specific selectivity, sustainability, and antimicrobial activity. Polyelectrolytes and their complexes are an especially promising system to provide advanced membrane functionalities. Here, we have reviewed recent work where advanced membrane properties stem directly from the material properties provided by polyelectrolytes. This work highlights the versatility of polyelectrolyte-based membrane modifications, where polyelectrolytes are not only applied as single layers, including brushes, but also as more complex polyelectrolyte multilayers on both porous membrane supports and dense membranes. Moreover, free-standing membranes can also be produced completely from aqueous polyelectrolyte solutions allowing much more sustainable approaches to membrane fabrication. The Review demonstrates the promise that polyelectrolytes and their complexes hold for next-generation membranes with advanced properties, while it also provides a clear outlook on the future of this promising field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elif Nur Durmaz
- Membrane
Science and Technology, MESA+ Institute for Nanotechnology, Faculty
of Science and Technology, University of
Twente, Enschede 7500 AE, The Netherlands
| | - Sevil Sahin
- Laboratory
of Organic Chemistry, Wageningen University, 6708 WE Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Ettore Virga
- Membrane
Science and Technology, MESA+ Institute for Nanotechnology, Faculty
of Science and Technology, University of
Twente, Enschede 7500 AE, The Netherlands
- Wetsus, European
Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Water
Technology, Oostergoweg
9, 8911 MA Leeuwarden, The Netherlands
| | - Sissi de Beer
- Sustainable
Polymer Chemistry Group, Department of Molecules and Materials MESA+
Institute for Nanotechnology, University
of Twente, P.O. Box 217, 7500 AE Enschede, The Netherlands
| | - Louis C. P. M. de Smet
- Laboratory
of Organic Chemistry, Wageningen University, 6708 WE Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Wiebe M. de Vos
- Membrane
Science and Technology, MESA+ Institute for Nanotechnology, Faculty
of Science and Technology, University of
Twente, Enschede 7500 AE, The Netherlands
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5
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Nakamura S, Mitomo H, Ijiro K. Assembly and Active Control of Nanoparticles using Polymer Brushes as a Scaffold. CHEM LETT 2021. [DOI: 10.1246/cl.200767] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Satoshi Nakamura
- National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), 2266-98 Anagahora, Shimo-Shidami, Moriyama-ku, Nagoya, Aichi 463-8560, Japan
| | - Hideyuki Mitomo
- Research Institute for Electronic Science, Hokkaido University, Kita 21, Nishi 10, Kita-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido 001-0021, Japan
- Global Station for Soft Matter, Global Institution for Collaborative Research and Education, Hokkaido University, Kita 21, Nishi 11, Kita-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido 001-0021, Japan
| | - Kuniharu Ijiro
- Research Institute for Electronic Science, Hokkaido University, Kita 21, Nishi 10, Kita-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido 001-0021, Japan
- Global Station for Soft Matter, Global Institution for Collaborative Research and Education, Hokkaido University, Kita 21, Nishi 11, Kita-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido 001-0021, Japan
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6
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Entropic Effects in Polymer Nanocomposites. ENTROPY 2019; 21:e21020186. [PMID: 33266901 PMCID: PMC7514668 DOI: 10.3390/e21020186] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2018] [Revised: 01/31/2019] [Accepted: 02/11/2019] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
Abstract
Polymer nanocomposite materials, consisting of a polymer matrix embedded with nanoscale fillers or additives that reinforce the inherent properties of the matrix polymer, play a key role in many industrial applications. Understanding of the relation between thermodynamic interactions and macroscopic morphologies of the composites allow for the optimization of design and mechanical processing. This review article summarizes the recent advancement in various aspects of entropic effects in polymer nanocomposites, and highlights molecular methods used to perform numerical simulations, morphologies and phase behaviors of polymer matrices and fillers, and characteristic parameters that significantly correlate with entropic interactions in polymer nanocomposites. Experimental findings and insight obtained from theories and simulations are combined to understand how the entropic effects are turned into effective interparticle interactions that can be harnessed for tailoring nanostructures of polymer nanocomposites.
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Bos I, Merlitz H, Rosenthal A, Uhlmann P, Sommer JU. Design of binary polymer brushes with tuneable functionality. SOFT MATTER 2018; 14:7237-7245. [PMID: 30132780 DOI: 10.1039/c8sm01108g] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Using coarse grained molecular dynamics simulations, we study how functionalized binary brushes may be used to create surfaces whose functionality can be tuned. Our model brushes consist of a mixture of nonresponsive polymers with functionalized responsive polymers. The functional groups switch from an exposed to a hidden state when the conformations of the responsive polymers change from extended to collapsed. We investigate quantitatively which sets of brush parameters result in optimal switching in functionality, by analyzing to which extent the brush conformation allows an external object to interact with the functional groups. It is demonstrated that brushes with species of comparable polymer lengths, or with longer responsive polymers than nonresponsive polymers, can show significant differences in their functionality. In the latter case, either the fraction of responsive polymers or the total grafting density has to be reduced. Among these possibilities, a reduction of the fraction of responsive polymers is shown to be most effective.
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Affiliation(s)
- Inge Bos
- Physical Chemistry and Soft Matter, Wageningen University & Research, 6708 WE Wageningen, The Netherlands
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8
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Cheng S, Stevens MJ, Grest GS. Ordering nanoparticles with polymer brushes. J Chem Phys 2017; 147:224901. [DOI: 10.1063/1.5006048] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Shengfeng Cheng
- Department of Physics, Center for Soft Matter and Biological Physics, and Macromolecules Innovation Institute, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Virginia 24061, USA
| | - Mark J. Stevens
- Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87185, USA
| | - Gary S. Grest
- Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87185, USA
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9
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Schoch RL, Emilsson G, Dahlin AB, Lim RY. Protein exclusion is preserved by temperature sensitive PEG brushes. POLYMER 2017. [DOI: 10.1016/j.polymer.2017.10.063] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
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10
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Gu C, Coalson RD, Jasnow D, Zilman A. Free Energy of Nanoparticle Binding to Multivalent Polymeric Substrates. J Phys Chem B 2017. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.7b00868] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Chad Gu
- Department
of Physics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S 1A7, Canada
| | - Rob D. Coalson
- Department
of Chemistry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15260, United States
| | - David Jasnow
- Department
of Physics and Astronomy, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15260, United States
| | - Anton Zilman
- Department
of Physics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S 1A7, Canada
- Institute
of Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3G9, Canada
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11
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Zoppe JO, Ataman NC, Mocny P, Wang J, Moraes J, Klok HA. Surface-Initiated Controlled Radical Polymerization: State-of-the-Art, Opportunities, and Challenges in Surface and Interface Engineering with Polymer Brushes. Chem Rev 2017; 117:1105-1318. [PMID: 28135076 DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrev.6b00314] [Citation(s) in RCA: 578] [Impact Index Per Article: 82.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
The generation of polymer brushes by surface-initiated controlled radical polymerization (SI-CRP) techniques has become a powerful approach to tailor the chemical and physical properties of interfaces and has given rise to great advances in surface and interface engineering. Polymer brushes are defined as thin polymer films in which the individual polymer chains are tethered by one chain end to a solid interface. Significant advances have been made over the past years in the field of polymer brushes. This includes novel developments in SI-CRP, as well as the emergence of novel applications such as catalysis, electronics, nanomaterial synthesis and biosensing. Additionally, polymer brushes prepared via SI-CRP have been utilized to modify the surface of novel substrates such as natural fibers, polymer nanofibers, mesoporous materials, graphene, viruses and protein nanoparticles. The last years have also seen exciting advances in the chemical and physical characterization of polymer brushes, as well as an ever increasing set of computational and simulation tools that allow understanding and predictions of these surface-grafted polymer architectures. The aim of this contribution is to provide a comprehensive review that critically assesses recent advances in the field and highlights the opportunities and challenges for future work.
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Affiliation(s)
- Justin O Zoppe
- Institut des Matériaux and Institut des Sciences et Ingénierie Chimiques, Laboratoire des Polymères Bâtiment MXD, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) , Station 12 CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Nariye Cavusoglu Ataman
- Institut des Matériaux and Institut des Sciences et Ingénierie Chimiques, Laboratoire des Polymères Bâtiment MXD, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) , Station 12 CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Piotr Mocny
- Institut des Matériaux and Institut des Sciences et Ingénierie Chimiques, Laboratoire des Polymères Bâtiment MXD, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) , Station 12 CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Jian Wang
- Institut des Matériaux and Institut des Sciences et Ingénierie Chimiques, Laboratoire des Polymères Bâtiment MXD, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) , Station 12 CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - John Moraes
- Institut des Matériaux and Institut des Sciences et Ingénierie Chimiques, Laboratoire des Polymères Bâtiment MXD, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) , Station 12 CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Harm-Anton Klok
- Institut des Matériaux and Institut des Sciences et Ingénierie Chimiques, Laboratoire des Polymères Bâtiment MXD, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) , Station 12 CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
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12
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de Beer S, Mensink LIS, Kieviet BD. Geometry-Dependent Insertion Forces on Particles in Swollen Polymer Brushes. Macromolecules 2016. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.macromol.5b01960] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Sissi de Beer
- Materials Science and Technology
of Polymers, MESA+ Institute for Nanotechnology, University of Twente, P.O. Box 217, 7500 AE Enschede, The Netherlands
| | - Liz I. S. Mensink
- Materials Science and Technology
of Polymers, MESA+ Institute for Nanotechnology, University of Twente, P.O. Box 217, 7500 AE Enschede, The Netherlands
| | - Bernard D. Kieviet
- Materials Science and Technology
of Polymers, MESA+ Institute for Nanotechnology, University of Twente, P.O. Box 217, 7500 AE Enschede, The Netherlands
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13
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Hua Y, Zhang D, Zhang L. Compression-driven migration of nanoparticles in semiflexible polymer brushes. POLYMER 2016. [DOI: 10.1016/j.polymer.2015.12.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
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14
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Nie G, Li G, Wang L, Zhang X. Nanocomposites of polymer brush and inorganic nanoparticles: preparation, characterization and application. Polym Chem 2016. [DOI: 10.1039/c5py01333j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
We tackle in this review the use of a subset of polymer brushes (e.g., polyelectrolytes and polyampholytes) for the embedment of inorganic NPs to make composite surfaces/NPs with specific functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Genkuo Nie
- Key Laboratory for Green Chemical Technology of Ministry of Education
- School of Chemical Engineering and Technology
- Collaborative Innovative Center of Chemical Science and Engineering (Tianjin)
- Tianjin University
- Tianjin 300072
| | - Guozhu Li
- Key Laboratory for Green Chemical Technology of Ministry of Education
- School of Chemical Engineering and Technology
- Collaborative Innovative Center of Chemical Science and Engineering (Tianjin)
- Tianjin University
- Tianjin 300072
| | - Li Wang
- Key Laboratory for Green Chemical Technology of Ministry of Education
- School of Chemical Engineering and Technology
- Collaborative Innovative Center of Chemical Science and Engineering (Tianjin)
- Tianjin University
- Tianjin 300072
| | - Xiangwen Zhang
- Key Laboratory for Green Chemical Technology of Ministry of Education
- School of Chemical Engineering and Technology
- Collaborative Innovative Center of Chemical Science and Engineering (Tianjin)
- Tianjin University
- Tianjin 300072
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15
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Neratova IV, Kreer T, Sommer JU. Translocation of Molecules with Different Architectures through a Brush-Covered Microchannel. Macromolecules 2015. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.macromol.5b00042] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Irina V. Neratova
- Leibniz-Institut für Polymerforschung Dresden e.V., Hohe Straße 6, D-01069 Dresden, Germany
- Institut
für Theoretische Physik, Technische Universität Dresden, Zellescher Weg 17, D-01069 Dresden, Germany
| | - Torsten Kreer
- Leibniz-Institut für Polymerforschung Dresden e.V., Hohe Straße 6, D-01069 Dresden, Germany
| | - Jens-Uwe Sommer
- Leibniz-Institut für Polymerforschung Dresden e.V., Hohe Straße 6, D-01069 Dresden, Germany
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16
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Opferman MG, Coalson RD, Jasnow D, Zilman A. Morphology of polymer brushes infiltrated by attractive nanoinclusions of various sizes. LANGMUIR : THE ACS JOURNAL OF SURFACES AND COLLOIDS 2013; 29:8584-8591. [PMID: 23758614 DOI: 10.1021/la4013922] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
Addition of nanoparticles can control the morphologies of grafted polymer layers that are important in a variety of natural and artificial systems. We study the morphologies of grafted polymer layers interacting attractively with nanoparticle inclusions, as a function of particle size and the interaction strength, using self-consistent field theory and Langevin dynamics simulations. We find that the addition of nanoparticles causes distinctive changes in the layer morphology. For sufficiently strong interaction/binding, increasing the concentration of nanoparticles causes a compression of the polymer layer into a compact, low height state, followed by a subsequent rebound and swelling at sufficiently high concentrations. For nanoparticles of small size, the compression of the layer is sharp and occurs over a narrow range of nanoparticle concentrations. The transition region widens as the nanoparticle size increases. The transition is initiated via a dense layer of tightly bound monomers and nanoparticles near the grafting surface, with a low density region above it. For nanoparticles much larger than the characteristic graft spacing in the brush, the behavior is reversed: the nanoparticles penetrate only the dilute region near the top of the polymer layer without causing the layer to collapse.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael G Opferman
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15260, USA
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17
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Egorov SA. Insertion of nanoparticles into polymer brush under variable solvent conditions. J Chem Phys 2013; 137:134905. [PMID: 23039611 DOI: 10.1063/1.4757017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
In this work, two-dimensional lattice-based self-consistent field theory is used to study the free energy cost associated with the insertion of a nanoparticle into a polymer brush. The nanoparticle is modeled as a cylinder and the self-consistent field equations are formulated on a cylindrical lattice. The use of two-dimensional formalism makes it possible to take into account the distortion of the brush density profile due to the embedded nanoinclusion. The insertion free energy penalty is analyzed as a function of the particle size, the brush grafting density, and the solvent quality. In agreement with the earlier simulation work, we find that the insertion free energy cost increases both with the particle size and the brush grafting density and decreases with deteriorating solvent quality. For nanoparticles located deep inside the brush, the insertion free energy is shown to scale with either squared (good solvent) or cubed (poor solvent) monomer volume fraction profile, in agreement with the earlier theoretical results. For shallow nanoinclusions located close to the brush surface, the insertion free energy is shown to scale linearly with the monomer volume fraction profile under both good and theta solvent conditions, again in agreement with the earlier work.
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Affiliation(s)
- S A Egorov
- Department of Chemistry, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia 22901, USA
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18
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Binder K, Milchev A. Polymer brushes on flat and curved surfaces: How computer simulations can help to test theories and to interpret experiments. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2012. [DOI: 10.1002/polb.23168] [Citation(s) in RCA: 166] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
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19
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Egorov SA, Binder K. Effect of solvent quality on the dispersibility of polymer-grafted spherical nanoparticles in polymer solutions. J Chem Phys 2012; 137:094901. [DOI: 10.1063/1.4747196] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
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20
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Opferman MG, Coalson RD, Jasnow D, Zilman A. Morphological control of grafted polymer films via attraction to small nanoparticle inclusions. PHYSICAL REVIEW. E, STATISTICAL, NONLINEAR, AND SOFT MATTER PHYSICS 2012; 86:031806. [PMID: 23030937 DOI: 10.1103/physreve.86.031806] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2011] [Revised: 08/24/2012] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
Control of the morphologies of polymer films and layers by addition of nanosize particles is a novel technique for design of nanomaterials and is also at the core of some important biological processes. In order to facilitate the analysis of experimental data and enable predictive engineering of such systems, solid theoretical understanding is necessary. We study theoretically and computationally the behavior of plane-grafted polymer layers (brushes) in athermal solvent, decorated with small nanoparticle inclusions, using mean field theory and coarse-grained simulations. We show that the morphology of such layers is very sensitive to the interaction between the polymers and the nanoparticles and to the nanoparticle density. In particular, the mean field model shows that for a certain range of parameters, the nanoparticles induce a sharp transition in the layer height, accompanied by a sharp increase in the number of adsorbed nanoparticles. At other parameter values, the layer height depends smoothly on the nanoparticle concentration. Predictions of the theoretical model are verified by Langevin dynamics simulations. The results of the paper are in qualitative agreement with experiments on in vitro models of biological transport and suggest strategies for morphological control of nanocomposite materials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael G Opferman
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15260, USA
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21
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Roiter Y, Minko I, Nykypanchuk D, Tokarev I, Minko S. Mechanism of nanoparticle actuation by responsive polymer brushes: from reconfigurable composite surfaces to plasmonic effects. NANOSCALE 2012; 4:284-292. [PMID: 22081128 DOI: 10.1039/c1nr10932d] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
The mechanism of nanoparticle actuation by stimuli-responsive polymer brushes triggered by changes in the solution pH was discovered and investigated in detail in this study. The finding explains the high spectral sensitivity of the composite ultrathin film composed of a poly(2-vinylpyridine) (P2VP) brush that tunes the spacing between two kinds of nanoparticles-gold nanoislands immobilized on a transparent support and gold colloidal particles adsorbed on the brush. The optical response of the film relies on the phenomenon of localized surface plasmon resonances in the noble metal nanoparticles, giving rise to an extinction band in visible spectra, and a plasmon coupling between the particles and the islands that has a strong effect on the band position and intensity. Since the coupling is controlled by the interparticle spacing, the pH-triggered swelling-shrinking transition in the P2VP brush leads to pronounced changes in the transmission spectra of the hybrid film. It was not established in the previous publications how the actuation of gold nanoparticles within a 10-15 nm interparticle distance could result in the 50-60 nm shift in the absorbance maximum in contrast to the model experiments and theoretical estimations of several nanometer shifts. In this work, the extinction band was deconvoluted into four spectrally separated and overlapping contributions that were attributed to different modes of interactions between the particles and the islands. These modes came into existence due to variations in the thickness of the grafted polymeric layer on the profiled surface of the islands. In situ atomic force microscopy measurements allowed us to explore the behavior of the Au particles as the P2VP brush switched between the swollen and collapsed states. In particular, we identified an interesting, previously unanticipated regime when a particle position in a polymer brush was switched between two distinct states: the particle exposed to the surface of the collapsed layer and the particle engulfed by the swollen brush. On average, the characteristic distance between the particles and the islands increased upon the brush swelling. The observed behavior was a result of the anchoring of the particles to polymeric chains that limited the particles' vertical motion range. The experimental findings will be used to design highly sensitive optical nanosensors based on a polymer-brush-modulated interparticle plasmon coupling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuri Roiter
- Department of Chemistry and Biomolecular Science, Clarkson University, Potsdam, New York 13699-5810, USA
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Chen Y, Chen JZY. Absorption and engulfing transitions in nanoparticle infiltration into a polymer brush: A monte carlo simulation. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2011. [DOI: 10.1002/polb.22369] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
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Halperin A, Kröger M. Collapse of Thermoresponsive Brushes and the Tuning of Protein Adsorption. Macromolecules 2011. [DOI: 10.1021/ma201006h] [Citation(s) in RCA: 79] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- A. Halperin
- University of Grenoble 1/CNRS, LIPhy UMR 5588, BP 87, 38041 Grenoble, France
| | - M. Kröger
- Polymer Physics, ETH Zurich, Wolfgang-Pauli-Strasse 10, CH-8093 Zurich, Switzerland
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Halperin A, Kröger M, Zhulina EB. Colloid-Brush Interactions: The Effect of Solvent Quality. Macromolecules 2011. [DOI: 10.1021/ma200068d] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- A. Halperin
- Laboratoire Interdisciplinaire de Physique (UMR 5588), Université Joseph Fourier—CNRS, BP 87, 38402 Saint Martin d’Hères, France
| | - M. Kröger
- Polymer Physics, ETH Zurich, Wolfgang-Pauli-Strasse 10, CH-8093 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - E. B. Zhulina
- Institute of Macromolecular Compounds of the Russian Academy of Sciences, St. Petersburg, Russia
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Milchev A, Dimitrov DI, Binder K. Polymer brushes with nanoinclusions under shear: A molecular dynamics investigation. BIOMICROFLUIDICS 2010; 4:32202. [PMID: 21045924 PMCID: PMC2967235 DOI: 10.1063/1.3396446] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2009] [Accepted: 03/16/2010] [Indexed: 05/30/2023]
Abstract
We use molecular dynamics simulations with a dissipative particle dynamics thermostat to study the behavior of nanosized inclusions (colloids) in a polymer brush under shear whereby the solvent is explicitly included in the simulation. The brush is described by a bead-spring model for flexible polymer chains, grafted on a solid substrate, while the polymer-soluble nanoparticles in the solution are taken as soft spheres whose diameter is about three times larger than that of the chain segments and the solvent. We find that the brush number density profile, as well as the density profiles of the nanoinclusions and the solvent, remains insensitive to strong shear although the grafted chains tilt in direction of the flow. The thickness of the penetration layer of nanoinclusions, as well as their average concentration in the brush, stays largely unaffected even at the strongest shear. Our result manifests the remarkable robustness of polymer brushes with embedded nanoparticles under high shear which could be of importance for technological applications.
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Milchev A, Egorov SA, Binder K. Absorption/expulsion of oligomers and linear macromolecules in a polymer brush. J Chem Phys 2010. [DOI: 10.1063/1.3414996] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
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