Polymer-nanoparticle interfacial behavior revisited: a molecular dynamics study

By tuning the polymer-filler interaction, filler size and filler loading, we use a coarse-grained model-based molecular dynamics simulation to study the polymer-filler interfacial structural (the orientations at the bond, segment and chain length scales, chain size and conformation), dynamic and stress-strain properties. Simulated results indicate that the interfacial region is composed of partial segments of different polymer chains, which is consistent with the experimental results presented by Chen et al. (Macromolecules, 2010, 43, 1076). Moreover, it is found that the interfacial region is within one single chain size (R(g)) range, irrespective of the polymer-filler interaction and the filler size, beyond which the bulk behavior appears. In the interfacial region, the orientation and dynamic behaviors are induced by the interfacial enthalpy, while the size and conformation of polymer chains near the filler are controlled by the configurational entropy. In the case of strong polymer-filler interaction (equivalent to the hydrogen bond), the innerest adsorbed polymer segments still undergo adsorption-desorption process, the transport of chain mass center in the interfacial region exhibits away from the glassy behavior, and no plastic-like yielding point appears in the stress-strain curve, which indicates that although the mobility of interfacial polymer chains is restricted, there exist no "polymer glassy layers" surrounding the filler. In addition, it is evidenced that the filler particle prefers selectively adsorbing the long polymer chains for attractive polymer-filler interaction, validating the experimental explanation of the change of the bound rubber (BR). In short, this work provides important information for further experimental and simulation studies of polymer-nanoparticle interfacial behavior.     

Ordered Arrangements of Semiflexible Polymers at the Interface with Solids

The molecular arrangements and conformations of dense systems of semiflexible polymer chains near solid surfaces have been investigated by Monte Carlo simulations. At variance with the results obtained for more flexible chains, the mean square end‐to‐end distance and the mean square radius of gyration of chains in contact with the surfaces are found to be much higher than in the bulk. This is related to the increased length of the surface trains and to the increased tendency of such trains to form rod‐like strands. As a result, the first layer of polymer units in contact with the surfaces consists of two‐dimensional domains of locally parallel chain segments. The width of these domains is several times the transverse diameter of the chains.     

Predicting the Molecular Arrangements in Polymer‐Based Nanocomposites

Monte Carlo computer simulations have been performed for model polymers containing randomly distributed spherical filler particles (20% in volume) with diameter between 4 times and 28 times the transverse diameter of the chains. By analyzing the results in conjunction with those of previous simulations, a few simple rules are deduced allowing to predict approximately the molecular arrangements in these complex systems.

Schematic two‐dimensional picture of the mutual arrangements of filler particles and chains predicted for system M₁₂.     

Monte Carlo simulation of the structure of mono- and bidisperse polyethylene nanocomposites

The structure of bidisperse polyethylene(PE) nanocomposite mixtures of 50:50(by mole) of long and short chains of C160H322/C80H162 and C160H322/C40H82 filled with spherical nanoparticles were investigated by a coarse-grained, on lattice Monte Carlo method using rotational isomeric state theory for short-range and Lennard-Jones for long-range energetic interactions. Simulations were performed to evaluate the effect of wall-to-wall distance between fillers(D), polymer-filler interaction(w) and polydispersity(number of short chains in the mixture) on the behavior of the long PE chains. The results indicate that long chain conformation statistics remain Gaussian regardless of the effects of confinement, interaction strength and polydispersity. The various long PE subchain structures(bridges, dangling ends, trains, and loops) are influenced strongly by confinement whereas monomer-filler interaction and polydispersity did not have any impact. In addition, the average number of subchain segments per filler in bidisperse PE nanocomposites decreased by about 50% compared to the nanocomposite system with monodisperse PE chains. The presence of short PE chains in the polymer matrix leads to a reduction of the repeat unit density of long PE chains at the interface suggesting that the interface is preferentially populated by short chains.     

Heterogeneities in Polymer Structural and Dynamic Properties in Graphene and Graphene Oxide Nanocomposites: Molecular Dynamics Simulations

The effect of graphene (G) and graphene oxide (GO), used as the nanofiller in polymer nanocomposites (NC), on the structural and dynamic properties of polymer chains, has been studied by means of molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. Two polymers, i.e., poly(propylene) and poly(vinyl alcohol), are employed as matrices to cover a wider range of polymer–filler interactions. The local structural properties, e.g., density profile, average R _g, and end‐to‐end distance as well as dynamic properties, e.g., estimated translational and orientational relaxation times, of polymer chains are studied. In addition, the interaction energies are estimated between polymers and nanofillers for different hybrid systems using MD pullout simulations. Strong heterogeneities in polymer structural and dynamic properties have been observed such that chains are more oriented and exhibit slower dynamics in the vicinity of the nanofillers (G and GO) as compared to bulk. It is also found that the orientation of polymer chains at the interface is more influenced by the nanofiller in such a way that the more oriented polymer chains are observed in G‐based NC for both polymers. However, the immobilization of polymer chains at the interface proves to be very much dependent on the polymer–filler interactions.

     

Pulsed field gradient NMR studies of polymer adsorption on colloidal CdSe quantum dots

Pulsed field gradient nuclear magnetic resonance (PFG NMR) experiments have been used to examine ligand exchange between poly(2-(N,N-dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate) (PDMA) (Mn = 12,000, Mw/Mn = 1.20, Nn = 78) and trioctylphosphine oxide (TOPO) bound to the surface of CdSe/TOPO quantum dots (QDs). We show that PFG 1H NMR can quantify the displacement of TOPO by PDMA through its ability to differentiate signals due to TOPO bound to the QDs versus those from TOPO molecules free in solution. For CdSe QDs with a band edge absorption maximum at 558 nm (diameter 2.7 nm by transmission electron microscopy), we determined that, at saturation, 8 polymer chains on average displace greater than 90% of the surface TOPO groups. At partial saturation, with an average of 6 polymer chains/QD, each TOPO displaced requires 28 DMA repeat units. Assuming that one Me2N- group binds to a surface Cd2+ for each TOPO displaced, we infer that only about 3% of the DMA units are directly bound to the surface. The remaining groups are present as loops or tails that protrude into the solvent and increase the hydrodynamic diameter of the particles.     

Nonequilibrium simulations of filled polymer networks: searching for the origins of reinforcement and nonlinearity

We present nonequilibrium dissipative particle dynamics (DPD) simulations of cross-linked elastomers containing solid filler particles at 30% volume fraction. We study systematically the effect of the morphology (dispersed or aggregated particles) and of the effective particle-particle interactions. In addition, we have experimented by replacing the standard harmonic DPD bonds with other potential functions, conceived to deal with the finite extensibility of the polymer chains and the possibility of a slow equilibrium between strongly and weakly adsorbed chains at the rubber-filler interface. The simulation results shed some light on the basic mechanisms of rubber reinforcement, including the nonlinearity and history dependence commonly known as "Payne effect" and "Mullins effect."     

毛细管内高分子溶液的浓度分布

采用连续自洽场理论分析了毛细管中发生凝胶化之前的聚合物溶液浓度分布的影响因素及其规律. 结果表明, 体系尺寸有限时, 改变聚合物链段、溶剂与壁面的相互作用参数之差, 聚合物溶液浓度分布会发生贫化/吸附转变; 临界作用参数与聚合物链长的倒数呈线性关系, 且拟合常数与体系尺寸、聚合物溶液平均体积分数有关; 聚合物分子量分布为多分散时, 分子量较低的组分更容易接近容器壁面, 分子量较大的组分则相反. 总之, 增加聚合物溶液浓度、链长, 选择优良溶剂, 减小体系尺寸等都会使浓度分布更加均匀.     

Molecular modeling of matrix chain deformation in nanofiber filled composites

The effects of the oriented fiber filler particles on the microscopic properties of the matrix network chains were investigated by using nanofiber filler particles as reinforcing material. Monte Carlo Rotational Isomeric State simulations were carried out for filled poly(ethylene) (PE) networks to study the dependence of the conformational distribution functions of polymer chains and their elastomeric properties on filler loadings. We were especially interested how the excluded volume effect of the nanofiber particles and their orientation (specifically orientational anisotropy) in the matrix influence elastomeric properties of the network. Distribution functions of the end-to-end distances of polymer chains for both unfilled and filled networks were calculated. Effects of nanofiber reinforcements with varying fiber radii and fiber volume fractions were investigated. We have found that the presence of nanofibers significantly increase the non-Gaussian behavior of polymer chains in the composite. The anisotropic effects of the nanofibers on mechanical properties of polymeric composites were studied as a function of their relative orientation to the direction of deformation. The modulus (reduced nominal stress per unit strain) was calculated from the distribution of end-to-end distances of polymer chains using the Mark–Curro method. Relatively small amount of nanofibers was found to increase the normalized moduli of the composite. Our results are quite in satisfactory qualitative agreement with experimental data reported in the literature. This shows that computer simulations provide a powerful tool in predicting physical properties of composite materials.     

尼龙6/碳纳米管纳米复合材料自由体积特性的正电子湮没研究

采用正电子湮没寿命谱技术研究了尼龙6/碳纳米管纳米复合材料的自由体积特性。实验结果发现碳纳米管对纳米复合材料的自由体积孔洞尺寸影响甚微,而自由体积孔洞数目和相对自由体积分数均随碳纳米管含量的增加而明显减小。导致这种减小的原因可能来自两方面,其一是由于碳纳米管和基质聚合物间的相互作用限制了高分子链段运动;其二是碳纳米管填充增强了尼龙6基体结晶性能。此外,力学性能研究表明,碳纳米管在复合材料中较均匀的分散和较好的界面接触可以提高材料的力学强度,而自由体积分数的减小则使材料的韧性变差。     

Formation and manipulation of protopolymer chains

We define "protopolymer" to mean that the monomer units of a polymer are together and aligned, but are not yet reacted to their final form, the polymer. We have created, observed, and manipulated this new chemical state in linear chains of phenylene on Cu[111] at low temperature. We demonstrate that protopolyphenylene forms by manipulating individual monomer units out of the chains using a scanning tunneling microscope. Both the bare and the phenylene-covered Cu[111] surface can serve as an extended catalytic active site to bring together and to align the monomer phenylene units formed from the dissociative chemisorption of p-diiodobenzene. When short segments of protopolymer chains are moved on the phenylene-covered surface, the intermolecular interactions are sufficiently strong to realign the chains in new locations. The alignment due to these interactions may be used in the controlled growth and assembly, as well as for the simplified manipulation of complex, hierarchical structures.     

Chemical origins of permanent set in a peroxide cured filled silicone elastomer - tensile and H NMR analysis

The aging of a commercial filled siloxane polymeric composite in states of high stress and Co-60 γ-radiation exposure has been studied. DC-745 is a commercially available silicone elastomer consisting of dimethyl, methyl-phenyl, and vinyl-methyl siloxane monomers crosslinked with a peroxide vinyl specific curing agent. It is filled with ∼ 30 wt.% mixture of high and low surface area silicas. This filled material is shown to be subject to permanent set if exposed to radiation while under tensile stress. Tensile modulus measurements show that the material becomes marginally softer with combined radiation exposure and tensile strain as compared to material exposed to radiation without tensile strain. In addition, the segmental dynamics as measured by both uniaxial NMR relaxometry and Multiple Quantum NMR methods indicate that the material undergoes radiatively-induced crosslinking in the absence of tensile strain. In the presence of tensile strain, relaxometry and MQ NMR studies show a strain dependent change in the dynamic order parameter and in the number of polymer chains associated with the filler surface. Solvent swelling measurements indicated no dependence on network crosslink density on strain ratio. Variable tau CPMG echo experiments indicate that a fraction of the polymer chains diffuses through areas of strong magnetic field gradients both at the filler-polymer interface and adjacent to micro-voids within the network. The population of the polymer chains influenced by the field gradients was observed to be dependent on the cumulative dose and degree of tensile strain applied during exposure. The relative change in crosslink density from the NMR and solvent swelling data deviates from that predicted from the Tobolsky model, particularly at higher doses. The likely reasons for this deviation are changes in the filler-polymer interface, increasing deviation from Gaussian chain statistics, and/or the formation of increased numbers of elastically ineffective network chains.     

Properties of branched confined polymers

A model of star-branched polymer chains confined in a slit formed by two parallel surfaces was studied. The chains were embedded to a simple cubic lattice and consisted of f=3 branches of equal length. The macromolecules had the excluded volume and the confining surfaces were impenetrable for polymer segments. No attractive interactions between polymer segments and then between polymer segments and the surfaces were assumed and therefore the system was a thermal. Monte Carlo simulations were carried out employing the sampling algorithm based on chain's local changes of conformation. Lateral diffusion of star-branched chains was studied. Dynamic properties of star-branched chains between the walls with impenetrable rod-like obstacles were also studied and compared to the previous case. The density profiles of polymer segments on the slit were determined. The analysis of contacts between the polymer chain and the surfaces was also carried out.     

Demixing in athermal mixtures of colloids and excluded-volume polymers from density functional theory

We study the structure and interfacial properties of model athermal mixtures of colloids and excluded volume polymers. The colloid particles are modeled as hard spheres whereas the polymer coils are modeled as chains formed from tangentially bonded hard spheres. Within the framework of the nonlocal density functional theory we study the influence of the chain length on the surface tension and the interfacial width. We find that the interfacial tension of the colloid-interacting polymer mixtures increases with the chain length and is significantly smaller than that of the ideal polymers. For certain parameters we find oscillations on the colloid-rich parts of the density profiles of both colloids and polymers with the oscillation period of the order of the colloid diameter. The interfacial width is few colloid diameters wide and also increases with the chain length. We find the interfacial width for the end segments to be larger than that for the middle segments and this effect is more pronounced for longer chains.     

Ultrathin films of perfluoropolyether-grafted polysiloxanes chemisorbed via alkylthiolate anchors to gold surfaces

Polysiloxanes grafted with both perfluoropolyether and alkyldisulfide side chains were synthesized and chemisorbed from dilute solutions to fresh gold surfaces. Polymer monolayer films form spontaneously from disulfide-gold mediated interfacial attachment, yielding highly hydrophobic films approximately 30 A thick. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy measurements show that perfluoropolyether segments enrich the outer interface of these polymer films, consistent with partial phase segregation of perfluorospecies near the film interface. Time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry of these films supports the presence of a perfluoropolyether-rich overlayer. Polarized grazing incidence reflection FTIR and NEXAFS spectra show no evidence for a consistent film anisotropy or off-vertical chain organization in these films, in contrast to recent observations with perfluoroalkyl-grafted polymer thin film analogues.     

Dynamics of star branched polymers in a matrix of linear chains — a Monte Carlo study

A simple cubic lattice model of the melt of 3-arm star-branched polymers of various length dissolved in a matrix of long linear chains (n₁ = 800 beads) is studied using a dynamic Monte Carlo method. The total polymer volume fraction is equal to 0,5, while the volume fraction of the star polymers is about ten times smaller. The static and dynamic properties of these systems are compared with the corresponding model systems of isolated star-branched polymers and with the melt of linear chains. It has been found that the number of dynamic entanglements for the star polymers with arm length up to 400 segments is too small for the onset of the arm retraction mechanism of polymer relaxation. In this regime dynamics of star-branched polymers is close to the dynamics of linear polymers at corresponding concentration and with equivalent chain length. The entanglement length for star polymers appears to be somewhat larger compared with linear chains.     

模拟研究石墨烯/生物基尼龙复合材料的界面热阻

生物基尼龙(PA56)源于天然产物,具有优良的环保性能和广阔应用前景,有望替代传统的石油基尼龙材料.为了开发基于PA56的导热材料,利用分子动力学模拟研究方法探索了石墨烯/PA56复合材料界面热阻的影响因素.首先,利用实验测试商用PA56样品的玻璃化转变温度(Tg)和导热系数(Tc),验证了PA56模型的模拟参数.接着,通过设计和比较不同表面改性状态对石墨烯/PA56复合材料的界面热阻的影响规律,最后,为了降低界面改性的难度,设计了一种新型的二嵌段共聚物作为石墨烯/PA56复合体系的界面改性剂,研究了界面改性剂的结构对界面热阻的影响规律.研究结果对于实验研究制备生物基尼龙导热复合材料具有重要的参考价值.     

Time dependence of piezoresistance for the conductor‐filled polymer composites

The piezoresistance and its time dependence of conductor‐filled polymer composites have been investigated. To reveal the origin of the time dependence of piezoresistance, the creep of the polymer matrix is also studied. Based on the interparticle separation change under the applied stress, a model has been developed to predict the piezoresistance and its time dependence. By analyzing this model, the influences of applied stress, filler particle diameter, filler volume fraction, matrix compressive modulus, potential barrier height, and the matrix creep behavior on the piezoresistance and its time dependence are interpreted quantitatively. These predicted results are compared with the experimental data obtained on the polymer composites filled with conductor fillers, and good agreements were obtained. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci B: Polym Phys 38: 2739–2749, 2000     

Characterization of radiation-induced aging in silica-reinforced polysiloxane composites

Changes in crosslink density and chemical structure of silica-reinforced silicone polymer composites due to aging in gamma radiation environments were examined in this study. Solvent swelling was utilized to determine the individual contributions of the matrix polymer and filler phase to the overall crosslink density of silica-reinforced silicone polymer composites. The results show how polymer–filler hydrogen bonding dominates the overall crosslink density of the material. Air-irradiated samples displayed decreased hydrogen bonding at the polymer–filler interface, while vacuum irradiation revealed the opposite effect. These results were supported by solid-state NMR experiments that correlated the motional dynamics of the polymer chains with crosslink density through T₂ relaxation time measurements. GC/MS analysis was used to identify degradation products formed as a result of irradiation and speculate upon likely degradation mechanisms.     

Glass transition and relaxation behavior of epoxy nanocomposites

With advances in nanoscience and nanotechnology, there is increasing interest in polymer nanocomposites, both in scientific research and for engineering applications. Because of the small size of nanoparticles, the polymer–filler interface property becomes a dominant factor in determining the macroscopic material properties of the nanocomposites. The glass‐transition behaviors of several epoxy nanocomposites have been investigated with modulated differential scanning calorimetry. The effect of the filler size, filler loading, and dispersion conditions of the nanofillers on the glass‐transition temperature (T_g) have been studied. In comparison with their counterparts with micrometer‐sized fillers, the nanocomposites show a T_g depression. For the determination of the reason for the T_g depression, the thermomechanical and dielectric relaxation processes of the silica nanocomposites have been investigated with dynamic mechanical analysis and dielectric analysis. The T_g depression is related to the enhanced polymer dynamics due to the extra free volume at the resin–filler interface. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 42: 3849–3858, 2004