Protection of nano-powders by adsorbed surfactants: A Monte Carlo study

The production of high-performance ceramics requires the protection of powder particles against chemical reactions. Hydrolysis and oxidation of nanoscaled non-oxidic powders can be impeded by a coating consisting of a dense adsorbed layer of amphiphilic molecules. Using Monte Carlo simulations for a coarse grained model the adsorption equilibrium of differently shaped amphiphiles in apolar and polar solvents is investigated. For estimating the protection capability of the adsorbed surfactant film in aqueous environment we study the diffusion of small hydrophilic particles through the adsorbed surfactant film. The surfactants considered as coating agents differ in the number of hydrocarbon tails. It is found that amphiphiles with a single hydrocarbon tail or at most two branches are more suitable to protect particle surfaces than amphiphiles with three or four branches, although the adsorption energy of amphiphiles with many branches is higher.     

不对称两嵌段共聚物熔体在平板狭缝中微相分离的Monte Carlo模拟

采用改进的键长涨落空穴扩散算法对平板狭缝中不对称两嵌共聚高分子熔体的微相分离进行了Monte Carlo模拟。模拟结果表明：在吸引壁条件下,靠近壁面处将形成平等于壁面的层状相;在弱吸引壁条件下,靠近壁面处将形成垂直于壁面的层状相;不对称共聚物在远离壁面处有丰富的微区形态。从结构因子上分析可知,弱吸引壁条件下不对称共聚物的结构比强吸引壁条件下更接近对称共聚物。     

Monte Carlo Simulations of the Phase Separation of a Copolymer Blend in a Thin Film

Monte Carlo simulations were carried out to study the phase separation of a copolymer blend comprising an alternating copolymer and/or block copolymer in a thin film, and a phase diagram was constructed with a series of composed recipes. The effects of composition and segregation strength on phase separation were discussed in detail. The chain conformation of the block copolymer and alternating copolymer were investigated with changes of the segregation strength. Our simulations revealed that the segment distribution along the copolymer chain and the segregation strength between coarse‐grained beads are two important parameters controlling phase separation and chain conformation in thin films of a copolymer blend. A well‐controlled phase separation in the copolymer blend can be used to fabricate novel nanostructures.     

The effect of nanopore shape on the structure and isotherms of adsorbed fluids

A Grand Canonical Monte Carlo simulation method is used to determine the adsorption isotherms, interaction energies, entropies, and density distribution of a Lennard-Jones fluid adsorbed in smooth-walled nanopores of varying size and shape. We specifically include very crowded pores, where packing effects are important. Differences in the isotherms of slit, cylindrical, and spherical nanopores of varying sizes can be explained in terms of the adsorbate-adsorbate interaction energy, the adsorbate-pore interaction energy, and the density profiles, which influence the balance between the former and the latter energy contributions. The expectation from low loading studies that the most energetically favorable adsorbate-pore interactions maximize adsorption is not borne out at intermediate and higher loadings. Instead, the relationships between adsorbed amounts and pore size and shape are found to be strong functions of the depth and steepness of the external potential, the extent to which adsorbate-adsorbate repulsion establishes short range fluid order, and the accessible pore volume. This study has implications for high pore density processes in nanoporous materials, such as zeolite catalysis, separations, and templating in zeolite synthesis.     

The Effect of Chain Architecture on the Dynamics of Copolymers in a Homopolymer Matrix: Lattice Monte Carlo Simulations using the Bond‐Fluctuation Model

Summary: The effects of copolymer sequence distribution on the dynamics of a copolymer in a homopolymer matrix are studied using computer simulations within the framework of the bond‐fluctuation model on blends containing low concentrations (10%) of copolymers dispersed in a homopolymer matrix. The sequence distribution of the two copolymer components was changed while maintaining the overall copolymer composition at 50/50. Our results indicate that copolymers with disordered sequence distributions exhibit dynamics that are faster than that of a homopolymer melt, while those with ordered sequence distributions exhibit a tendency to form aggregates that lead to slower dynamics as well as phase separation. Analysis of the structure suggests that copolymers with an alternating sequence distribution form large aggregates that are short‐lived, while diblocks form permanent micelle‐like structures. Analysis of the local composition around a copolymer molecule indicates that aggregation between copolymer chains has a direct impact on the local composition. This in turn has a significant impact on system dynamics. Our results indicate that the dynamics of random, random‐blocky, and alternating copolymers are nearly identical and are faster than that of a homopolymer melt. However, alternating copolymers form aggregates and hence are not uniformly distributed throughout the matrix phase. Thus, alternating copolymers are at a disadvantage in their ability to be effective compatibilizers. From a dynamic perspective, copolymers with random and random‐blocky copolymers seem to be ideal compatibilizers since they are distributed uniformly throughout the system and move rapidly through the matrix phase.

Snapshots of aggregates of alternating copolymer chains. Dark and bright spheres represent A and B monomers, respectively.     

Modulated nematic structures and chiral symmetry breaking in 2D

ABSTRACT

We have studied the properties of biaxial particles interacting via an anisotropic pair potential, involving second-rank quadrupolar and third-rank octupolar coupling terms, using Monte Carlo simulation. The particles occupy the sites of a 2D square lattice and the interactions are restricted to nearest neighbours. The system exhibits spontaneous chiral symmetry breaking from an isotropic phase to a chiral modulated nematic phase, composed of ambidextrous chiral domains. When twofold axes of quadrupolar and octupolar tensors coincide this modulated phase appears to be the ambidextrous cholesteric phase with pitch comparable to a few lattice spacings. The associated phase transition is first order.     

三萜骨架功能分子

具有独特立体结构的三萜化合物是一类重要的生物活性天然产物,在消炎、降血脂、保肝护肾、抗菌、抗肿瘤、抗真菌等方面有着重要药用价值。利用其独特手性结构、亲脂性、生物活性以及生物相容性等特性,设计合成新型功能分子,可作为药物载体,发挥其识别功能以及用于医用材料等方面具有重要的作用。本文介绍了近年来以三萜为骨架设计合成的新型功能分子在离子、分子识别和自组装性能方面研究现状及其潜在的应用前景。     

Using internal and collective variables in Monte Carlo simulations of nucleic acid structures: chain breakage/closure algorithm and associated Jacobians

This article describes a method for solving the geometric closure problem for simplified models of nucleic acid structures by using the constant bond lengths approximation. The resulting chain breakage/closure equations, formulated in the space of variable torsion and bond angles, are easy to solve, and have only two solutions. The analytical simplicity is in contrast with the high complexity of the closure problem in the torsion angle space with at most 16 solutions, which has been dealt with by several authors and was solved analytically by Wu and Deem (J. Chem. Phys. 1999, 111, 6625). The discussion on the choice of variables and associated Jacobians is focussed on the question of how conformational equilibration is affected in Monte Carlo simulations of molecular systems. In addition to the closure of the phosphate backbone, it is necessary to also solve the closure problem for the five-membered flexible furanose sugar ring. Explicit closure equations and the resulting Jacobians are given both for the complete four-variable model of the furanose ring and simulations in the phase-amplitude space of the five-membered ring, which are based on the approximate two-variable model of furanose introduced by Gabb et al. (J. Comput. Chem. 1995, 16, 667). The suggested closure algorithm can be combined with collective variables defined by translations and rotations of the monomeric nucleotide units. In comparison with simple internal coordinate moves, the resulting concerted moves describe local structural changes that have high acceptance rates and enable fast conformational equilibration. Appropriate molecular models are put forward for prospective Monte Carlo simulations of nucleic acids, but can be easily adapted to other biomolecular systems, such as proteins and lipid structures in biological membranes.     

Microreview of some non-solid state two-dimensional models

Presented are some models developed by physicists to describe dynamics of two-dimensional (2D) systems. Using these models we introduce certain notions which are now also widely used outside the original domain of applications. The models include percolation, cellular automata, exemplified by the Langton’s ant. In the latter the interaction between the dynamical system and the underlying geometric structure is shown. Finally, two examples are given of a physicists’ view of biological evolution. The first one is the Bak and Sneppen model and connected with it the notion of self-criticality. The second one is a model of a population in a changing environment with a possibility of colonizing a new habitat.