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Diepenbroek E, Pérez MB, de Beer S. PNIPAM Brushes in Colloidal Photonic Crystals Enable Ex Situ Ethanol Vapor Sensing. ACS APPLIED POLYMER MATERIALS 2024; 6:870-878. [PMID: 38230366 PMCID: PMC10788857 DOI: 10.1021/acsapm.3c02397] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2023] [Revised: 11/19/2023] [Accepted: 12/04/2023] [Indexed: 01/18/2024]
Abstract
Structural colors are formed by the periodic repetition of nanostructures in a material. Upon reversibly tuning the size or optical properties of the repetitive unit inside a nanostructured material, responsive materials can be made that change color due to external stimuli. This paper presents a simple method to obtain films of ethanol vapor-responsive structural colors based on stacked poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM)-grafted silica nanoparticles. Our materials show clear, reversible color transitions in the presence of near-saturated ethanol vapor. Moreover, due to the absorption of ethanol in the PNIPAM brushes, relatively long recovery times are observed (∼30 s). Materials based on bare or poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) brush-grafted silica nanoparticles also change color in the presence of ethanol vapor but possess significantly shorter recovery times (∼1 s). Atomic force microscopy reveals that the delayed recovery originates from the ability of PNIPAM brushes to swell in ethanol vapor. This renders the films highly suitable for ex situ ethanol vapor sensing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Esli Diepenbroek
- Department of Molecules & Materials,
MESA+ Institute, University of Twente, 7522 NB Enschede, The Netherlands
| | - Maria Brió Pérez
- Department of Molecules & Materials,
MESA+ Institute, University of Twente, 7522 NB Enschede, The Netherlands
| | - Sissi de Beer
- Department of Molecules & Materials,
MESA+ Institute, University of Twente, 7522 NB Enschede, The Netherlands
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2
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Cuadra-Rodríguez D, Qi XL, Barroso-Solares S, Rodríguez Pérez MÁ, Pinto J. Microcellular foams production from nanocomposites based on PS using MOF nanoparticles with enhanced CO 2 properties as nucleating agent. J CELL PLAST 2022. [DOI: 10.1177/0021955x221087599] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
The use of metal-organic frameworks (MOF) nanoparticles as nucleating agents in gas dissolution foaming processes is presented. In this work, MOF nanoparticles with three different particle sizes were synthetized and introduced in film composites based on polystyrene at 1 wt.%. The addition of nanoparticles with high affinity to CO2, which is the gas used as a physical blowing agent, can contribute to increase the nucleation efficiency in comparison with the classical heterogeneous route using non CO2-philic particles. Nanoparticles dispersion in solids and cellular structure in foams were studied as a function of the particle size and foaming parameters, studying for first time the impact of MOF nanoparticles on the nucleation by gas dissolution foaming. Nucleation efficiencies in the order of 10−2 were achieved for PS/MOF composites. In addition, the thermal stability of the cellular structure in the composites was enhanced regarding to PS matrix, preserving the cellular structure regardless the foaming temperature. Therefore, MOF nanoparticles have emerged as promising nucleating agents in foaming procedures.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Xiao-Lin Qi
- IMDEA Materials Institute, Getafe, Madrid, Spain
| | | | | | - Javier Pinto
- Condensed Matter Physics Department, University of Valladolid, Valladolid, Spain
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3
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Demewoz NM, Yeh SK. Fabrication and characterization of low-density nanocellular foam based on PMMA/TPU blends. POLYMER 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.polymer.2021.124493] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
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4
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Liu S, de Beer S, Batenburg KM, Gojzewski H, Duvigneau J, Vancso GJ. Designer Core-Shell Nanoparticles as Polymer Foam Cell Nucleating Agents: The Impact of Molecularly Engineered Interfaces. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2021; 13:17034-17045. [PMID: 33784063 PMCID: PMC8153546 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.1c00569] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2021] [Accepted: 03/12/2021] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
The interface between nucleating agents and polymers plays a pivotal role in heterogeneous cell nucleation in polymer foaming. We describe how interfacial engineering of nucleating particles by polymer shells impacts cell nucleation efficiency in CO2 blown polymer foams. Core-shell nanoparticles (NPs) with a 80 nm silica core and various polymer shells including polystyrene (PS), poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS), poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA), and poly(acrylonitrile) (PAN) are prepared and used as heterogeneous nucleation agents to obtain CO2 blown PMMA and PS micro- and nanocellular foams. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, and transmission electron microscopy are employed to confirm the successful synthesis of core-shell NPs. The cell size and cell density are determined by scanning electron microscopy. Silica NPs grafted with a thin PDMS shell layer exhibit the highest nucleation efficiency values, followed by PAN. The nucleation efficiency of PS- and PMMA-grafted NPs are comparable with the untreated particles and are significantly lower when compared to PDMS and PAN shells. Molecular dynamics simulations (MDS) are employed to better understand CO2 absorption and nucleation, in particular to study the impact of interfacial properties and CO2-philicity. The MDS results show that the incompatibility between particle shell layers and the polymer matrix results in immiscibility at the interface area, which leads to a local accumulation of CO2 at the interfaces. Elevated CO2 concentrations at the interfaces combined with the high interfacial tension (caused by the immiscibility) induce an energetically favorable cell nucleation process. These findings emphasize the importance of interfacial effects on cell nucleation and provide guidance for designing new, highly efficient nucleation agents in nanocellular polymer foaming.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shanqiu Liu
- Materials Science and Technology of
Polymers, MESA+ Institute for Nanotechnology, University of Twente, P.O. Box 217, 7500AE Enschede, the Netherlands
| | - Sissi de Beer
- Materials Science and Technology of
Polymers, MESA+ Institute for Nanotechnology, University of Twente, P.O. Box 217, 7500AE Enschede, the Netherlands
| | - Kevin M. Batenburg
- Materials Science and Technology of
Polymers, MESA+ Institute for Nanotechnology, University of Twente, P.O. Box 217, 7500AE Enschede, the Netherlands
| | - Hubert Gojzewski
- Materials Science and Technology of
Polymers, MESA+ Institute for Nanotechnology, University of Twente, P.O. Box 217, 7500AE Enschede, the Netherlands
| | - Joost Duvigneau
- Materials Science and Technology of
Polymers, MESA+ Institute for Nanotechnology, University of Twente, P.O. Box 217, 7500AE Enschede, the Netherlands
| | - G. Julius Vancso
- Materials Science and Technology of
Polymers, MESA+ Institute for Nanotechnology, University of Twente, P.O. Box 217, 7500AE Enschede, the Netherlands
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5
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Zuo K, Xu J, Xie S, Zhang S, Hou J, Yang Y, Zhang X, Chen J. Microcellular foaming and mechanical properties of iPPF reinforced PPR composites. J Supercrit Fluids 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.supflu.2020.105161] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
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6
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Zhou Y, Chen T. Combining foam injection molding with batch foaming to improve cell density and control cellular orientation via multiple gas dissolution and desorption processes. POLYM ADVAN TECHNOL 2020. [DOI: 10.1002/pat.4935] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Ying‐Guo Zhou
- School of Materials Science and EngineeringJiangsu University of Science and Technology Zhenjiang Jiangsu China
- Jiangsu Provincial Key Laboratory of Advanced Manufacture and Process for Marine Mechanical EquipmentJiangsu University of Science and Technology Zhenjiang Jiangsu China
| | - Tuo‐Yang Chen
- School of Materials Science and EngineeringJiangsu University of Science and Technology Zhenjiang Jiangsu China
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Liu S, Yin S, Duvigneau J, Vancso GJ. Bubble Seeding Nanocavities: Multiple Polymer Foam Cell Nucleation by Polydimethylsiloxane-Grafted Designer Silica Nanoparticles. ACS NANO 2020; 14:1623-1634. [PMID: 32003963 PMCID: PMC7045700 DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.9b06837] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/14/2023]
Abstract
We describe a successful strategy to substantially enhance cell nucleation efficiency in polymer foams by using designer nanoparticles as nucleating agents. Bare and poly(dimethylsilane) (PDMS)-grafted raspberry-like silica nanoparticles with diameters ranging from ∼80 nm to ∼200 nm were synthesized and utilized as highly efficient cell nucleators in CO2-blown nanocellular polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) foams. The successful synthesis of core-shell nanoparticles was confirmed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, Brunauer-Emmett-Teller measurements, and transmission electron microscopy. The cell size and cell density of the obtained PMMA micro- and nanocellular foams were determined by scanning electron microscopy. The results show that increased surface roughness enhances the nucleation efficiency of the designer silica particles. This effect is ascribed to a decreased nucleation free energy for foam cell nucleation in the nanocavities at the melt-nucleator interface. For PDMS grafted raspberry-like silica nanoparticles with diameters of 155 and 200 nm, multiple cell nucleation events were observed. These hybrid particles had nucleation efficiencies of 3.7 and 6.2, respectively. The surprising increase in nucleation efficiency to above unity is ascribed to the significant increase in CO2 absorption and capillary condensation in the corresponding PMMA during saturation. This increase results in the presence of large amounts of the physical blowing agent close to energetically favorable nucleation points. Additionally, it is shown that as a consequence of cell coalescence, the increased number of foam cells is rapidly reduced during the first seconds of foaming. Hence, the design of highly efficient nucleating particles, as well as careful selection of foam matrix materials, seems to be of pivotal importance for obtaining polymer cellular materials with cell dimensions at the nanoscale. These findings contribute to the fabrication of polymer foams with high thermal insulation capacity and have relevance in general to the area of cellular materials.
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Estravis S, Windle AH, van Es M, Elliott JA. Thermodynamic limits on cell size in the production of stable polymeric nanocellular materials. POLYMER 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.polymer.2019.122036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
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9
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Song Y, Wang Y, Li H, Zong Q, Xu A. Role of Wood Fibers in Tuning Dynamic Rheology, Non-Isothermal Crystallization, and Microcellular Structure of Polypropylene Foams. MATERIALS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2018; 12:E106. [PMID: 30598010 PMCID: PMC6337148 DOI: 10.3390/ma12010106] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2018] [Revised: 12/12/2018] [Accepted: 12/25/2018] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Microcellular polypropylene (PP)/wood fiber composite foams were fabricated via batch foaming assisted by supercritical CO₂ (scCO₂). Effects of wood fibers on rheology, crystallization, and foaming behaviors of PP were comprehensively investigated. The obtained results showed that the incorporation of wood fibers increased the complex viscosity and the storage modulus of the PP matrix. Jeziorny's model for non-isothermal crystallization kinetics indicated that wood fibers did not change the crystal growth. However, the crystallization rate of the PP matrix was decreased to a certain extent with increasing wood fiber loadings. The wood fiber exerts a noticeable role in improving the cell density and reducing the cell size, despite decreasing the expansion ratio. Interestingly, a "small-sized cells to large-sized cells" gradient cell structure was found around the wood fibers, implying cell nucleation was induced at the interface between wood fiber and PP matrix. When wood fiber loadings were specifically increased, a desirable microcellular structure was obtained. However, further increasing the wood fiber loadings deteriorated the cell structure. Moreover, the crystallinity of the composite foams initially decreased and then slightly increased with increasing wood fiber loadings, while the crystal size decreased.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yongming Song
- Key Laboratory of Bio-based Material Science and Technology (Ministry of Education), Material Science and Engineering College, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin 150040, China.
| | - Youyong Wang
- Key Laboratory of Bio-based Material Science and Technology (Ministry of Education), Material Science and Engineering College, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin 150040, China.
| | - Hao Li
- Key Laboratory of Bio-based Material Science and Technology (Ministry of Education), Material Science and Engineering College, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin 150040, China.
| | - Qiling Zong
- Key Laboratory of Bio-based Material Science and Technology (Ministry of Education), Material Science and Engineering College, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin 150040, China.
| | - Ailing Xu
- Key Laboratory of Bio-based Material Science and Technology (Ministry of Education), Material Science and Engineering College, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin 150040, China.
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Liu S, Pandey A, Duvigneau J, Vancso J, Snoeijer JH. Size-Dependent Submerging of Nanoparticles in Polymer Melts: Effect of Line Tension. Macromolecules 2018; 51:2411-2417. [PMID: 29657338 PMCID: PMC5895979 DOI: 10.1021/acs.macromol.7b02353] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2017] [Revised: 01/29/2018] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
![]()
Adhesion of nanoparticles
to polymer films plays a key role in
various polymer technologies. Here we report experiments that reveal
how silica nanoparticles adhere to a viscoelastic PMMA film above
the glass transition temperature. The polymer was swollen with CO2, closely matching the conditions of nanoparticle-nucleated
polymer foaming. It is found that the degree by which the particles
sink into the viscoelastic substrate is strongly size dependent and
can even lead to complete engulfment for particles of diameter below
12 nm. These findings are explained quantitatively by a thermodynamic
analysis, combining elasticity, capillary adhesion, and line tension.
We argue that line tension, here proposed for the first time in elastic
media, is responsible for the nanoparticle engulfment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shanqiu Liu
- Materials Science and Technology of Polymers, MESA+ Institute for Nanotechnology, and Physics of Fluids Group, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of Twente, P.O. Box 217, 7500AE Enschede, The Netherlands
| | - Anupam Pandey
- Materials Science and Technology of Polymers, MESA+ Institute for Nanotechnology, and Physics of Fluids Group, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of Twente, P.O. Box 217, 7500AE Enschede, The Netherlands
| | - Joost Duvigneau
- Materials Science and Technology of Polymers, MESA+ Institute for Nanotechnology, and Physics of Fluids Group, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of Twente, P.O. Box 217, 7500AE Enschede, The Netherlands
| | - Julius Vancso
- Materials Science and Technology of Polymers, MESA+ Institute for Nanotechnology, and Physics of Fluids Group, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of Twente, P.O. Box 217, 7500AE Enschede, The Netherlands
| | - Jacco H Snoeijer
- Materials Science and Technology of Polymers, MESA+ Institute for Nanotechnology, and Physics of Fluids Group, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of Twente, P.O. Box 217, 7500AE Enschede, The Netherlands.,Department of Applied Physics, Eindhoven University of Technology, P.O. Box 513, 5600MB Eindhoven, The Netherlands
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11
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Liu S, Eijkelenkamp R, Duvigneau J, Vancso GJ. Silica-Assisted Nucleation of Polymer Foam Cells with Nanoscopic Dimensions: Impact of Particle Size, Line Tension, and Surface Functionality. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2017; 9:37929-37940. [PMID: 28980799 PMCID: PMC5668892 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.7b11248] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2017] [Accepted: 10/05/2017] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
Core-shell nanoparticles consisting of silica as core and surface-grafted poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) as shell with different diameters were prepared and used as heterogeneous nucleation agents to obtain CO2-blown poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) nanocomposite foams. PDMS was selected as the shell material as it possesses a low surface energy and high CO2-philicity. The successful synthesis of core-shell nanoparticles was confirmed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, and transmission electron microscopy. The cell size and cell density of the PMMA micro- and nanocellular materials were determined by scanning electron microscopy. The cell nucleation efficiency using core-shell nanoparticles was significantly enhanced when compared to that of unmodified silica. The highest nucleation efficiency observed had a value of ∼0.5 for nanoparticles with a core diameter of 80 nm. The particle size dependence of cell nucleation efficiency is discussed taking into account line tension effects. Complete engulfment by the polymer matrix of particles with a core diameter below 40 nm at the cell wall interface was observed corresponding to line tension values of approximately 0.42 nN. This line tension significantly increases the energy barrier of heterogeneous nucleation and thus reduces the nucleation efficiency. The increase of the CO2 saturation pressure to 300 bar prior to batch foaming resulted in an increased line tension length. We observed a decrease of the heterogeneous nucleation efficiency for foaming after saturation with CO2 at 300 bar, which we attribute to homogenous nucleation becoming more favorable at the expense of heterogeneous nucleation in this case. Overall, it is shown that the contribution of line tension to the free energy barrier of heterogeneous foam cell nucleation must be considered to understand foaming of viscoelastic materials. This finding emphasizes the need for new strategies including the use of designer nucleating particles to enhance the foam cell nucleation efficiency.
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Zhang G, Zhang S, Qiu J, Jiang Z, Xing H, Li M, Tang T. Insight into the influence of OA-Fe3O4 nanoparticles on the morphology and scCO2 batch-foaming behavior of cocontinuous LLDPE/PS immiscible blends at semi-solid state. POLYMER 2017. [DOI: 10.1016/j.polymer.2017.09.053] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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13
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Pinto J, Morselli D, Bernardo V, Notario B, Fragouli D, Rodriguez-Perez MA, Athanassiou A. Nanoporous PMMA foams with templated pore size obtained by localized in situ synthesis of nanoparticles and CO2 foaming. POLYMER 2017. [DOI: 10.1016/j.polymer.2017.07.067] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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