Polymer Dynamics in a Polymer-Solid Interphase: Molecular Dynamics Simulations of 1,4-Polybutadiene At a Graphite Surface

A chemically realistic model of 1,4-polybutadiene confined by graphite walls in a thin film geometry was studied by molecular dynamics simulations. The chemically realistic approach allows for a quantitative determination of a variety of experimentally accessible relaxation functions (e.g., dielectric, NMR, or neutron scattering responses). The simulations yield these experimental observables. Additionally, the simulations can be resolved as a function of distance to the solid interface on a much finer scale than experimentally possible, providing a detailed mechanistic picture of the segmental and large scale motions of polymers in the interfacial region between bulk polymer melts and solid walls. Extending the study of 1,4-polybutadiene on graphite to temperatures close to the glass transition temperature, we also address the question to what extent growing length scales associated with the glass transition influence the melt dynamics in the interphase. It was found that there is an interplay of this intrinsic slowing down with the adsorption/desorption kinetics of the chains close to the wall. It is argued that the monomer density changes near the wall can overcome the effect of rotational barriers only in a region of about 2 nm next to the wall.     

Monte Carlo simulation studies of the interfaces between polymeric and other solids as models for fiber-matrix interactions in advanced composite materials

As a coarse-grained model for dense amorphous polymer systems interacting with solid walls (i.e., the fiber surface in a composite), the bond fluctuation model of flexible polymer chains confined between two repulsive surfaces is studied by extensive Monte Carlo simulations. Choosing a potential for the length of an effective bond that favors rather long bonds, the full temperature region from ordinary polymer melts down to the glass transition is accessible. It is shown that in the supercooled state near the glass transition an “interphase” forms near the walls, where the structure of the melt is influenced by the surface. This “interphase” already shows up in static properties, but also has an effect on monomer mobilities and the corresponding relaxation behavior of the polymer matrix. The thickness of the interphase is extracted from monomer density oscillations near the walls and is found to be strongly temperature dependent. It is ultimately larger than the gyration radius of the polymer chains. Effects of shear deformation on this model are simulated by choosing asymmetric jump rates near the moving wall (large jump rate in the direction of motion, and a small rate against it). It is studied how this dynamic perturbation propagates into the bulk of the polymer matrix.     

共聚聚醚酯酰胺的多重转变及其相态结构

Segmented polyesteramides have been synthesized from N,N'-bis（p-carbomethoxybenzoy）butanediamine（T4T）as crystalline segments and mixture of poly（tetramethylene oxide）with the average molecular weight 1000（PTMO1000）and 1,5-pentanediol（PDO）as soft segments. The polymerization was carried out in the melt at 250℃ for 1-2 h while vacuum was applied. The chemical composition of the copolymer was measured by H1-NMR. The melting behavior of the copolymers was studied by the differential scanning calorimeter. The dynamic mechanical properties were investigated on injection moulded bars by means of dynamic mechanical analysis. It was found that the copolymers with more than 40% molar ratio PDO showed two glass transition temperatures and two melting temperatures. The glass transition temperatures are independent of composition,and thus two fully phaseseparated amorphous phases are present. The melting temperatures change with PDO content. The amount of PDO has an effect on both TmA and TmB . TmA is attributed to the lamella consisting of extended T4T segments,while TmB results from the much thicker lamella consisting of both extended T4T and PDO segments. It is also possible that some PDO is present in the interphase as adjacent re-entry groups. So the resultant copolymer shows that a complex system,two crystalline phases,two amorphous phases and an interphase are involved in the copolymer. The undercooling for these copolymers is small,which means that these segmented copolymers crystallize fast.     

Extrudate swell and flow analysis of polystyrene melt flowing in an electro‐magnetized die in a single screw extruder

An electro‐magnetized capillary die via a parallel co‐extrusion technique was used to study the changes in the overall and radial extrudate swell ratio of polystyrene (PS) melt flowing in a single screw extruder. The effects of magnetic flux density, wall shear rate (screw rotating speed) and die temperature were studied. The results suggested that, in the case of non‐magnetic die the average overall swell ratio of the melt ranged from 1.25 to 1.55. The swelling ratio increased with increasing wall shear rate up to 8.5 sec^?1 and then decreased at 17.1 sec^?1. Increasing die temperature caused a reduction of extrudate swell ratio. The changes in extrudate swell ratio can be explained using the simultaneously measured velocity profiles during the flow in the die, and the swell ratio decreased with increasing radial position. Melt contraction of the melt layer near the die wall was observed. The die temperature was found to have no effect on the change of the radial extrudate swell profiles. When an electro‐magnetized die was used, the average overall swell ratio was found to increase with increasing magnetic flux density to a maximum value and then decreased at higher flux densities. The magnetic flux density of the maximum swell was changed by the wall shear rate. It was associated with a balance of elastic and magnetic energies during the flow. The magnetic energy was thought to have a pronounced effect on the swell ratio at low shear rate and low die temperature. Considering the radial position, the highest swell ratio occurred at the duct center, in the range 2.4–3.3. There was no extrudate contraction of the melt layer near the die wall. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Thermocapillary convection in double-layer fluid structures within a two-dimensional open cavity

Thermocapillary convection within a differentially-heated open rectangular cavity containing two immiscible liquid layers is considered in the absence of gravitational effects. The temperature and flow fields in the two layers are computed using domain mapping in conjunction with a finite-difference scheme on a staggered grid. The melt-encapsulant and air-encapsulant interfaces are allowed to deform, with the contact lines pinned on the solid boundaries. The presence of a free surface at the top leads to increased convection in the encapsulant phase while retarding thermocapillary flow in the melt. The intensity of thermocapillary convection in the encapsulated layer is reduced as the viscosity of the encapsulant is increased or the thickness of the encapsulant layer is decreased. Choosing an encapsulant with a greater sensitivity of interfacial tension to temperature (as compared to that of the melt phase) can almost completely suppress thermocapillary convection in the melt. Deformations of the melt-encapsulant interface in an open cavity are found to be larger than those in a closed cavity with a rigid top surface, due to higher pressure gradients realized in the encapsulant phase. In contrast to interface deformation behavior reported earlier for a double-layer system in a closed cavity, the shape of the melt-encapsulant interface is qualitatively similar for all values of the viscosity ratio, with the interface dipping into the melt near the cold wall, and into the encapsulant near the hot wall. For the double-layers considered in this study, a free surface at the top of the encapsulant layer was found to be more effective than a rigid top in reducing the intensity of thermocapillary convection in the melt.     

The structure of amorphous polymers near surfaces: athermal systems

The Wall PRISM theory of Yethiraj and Hall for calculating the distribution of a polymer liquid near a hard wall is generalised to the case of polymers with complex monomeric architectures, consisting of multiple sites. Results are shown for freely jointed chains, alkanes, isotactic polypropylene, polyisobutylene, and polydimethyl siloxane. It is found that the side chain groups in the substituted polymers are preferentially present near the wall, and tend to shield the atoms on the chain backbone from the surface. Wall PRISM is found to give accurate results for the polymer density distribution beyond about 2 A from the wall. In the immediate vicinity of the wall, the theory satisfactorily predicts the distribution for a melt of hard chains, but is not rich enough to account for the subtle effect of intermolecular interactions on the local distribution in the immediate vicinity of the surface.     

Influence of in situ reactive interphase with graft copolymer on shear and extensional rheology in a model bilayered polymer system

Influence of an in situ reactive interphase composed of graft copolymer on the melt shear and extensional rheology was systematically studied with a model bilayer of polyamide-6 (PA6)/maleic anhydride grafted poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF-g-MAH). Firstly, small-amplitude oscillatory shear was used in situ to probe the development of reactive interphase from the interfacial reactions by tracking the changes of viscoelastic responses. Secondly, shear (start-up shear, shear stress relaxation) and extensional rheology was comparatively performed on the healed bilayers to evaluate the effects of reactive interphase. Interestingly, shear stress relaxation and especially extensional rheology were pretty sensitive to the presence of reactive interphase, whereas start-up shear showed negligible sensitivity. Specifically, the reactive interphase retarded the stress relaxation of healed bilayers subjected to step strains. Particularly, extensional rheology provided a more direct and quantitative view of the contribution of reactive interphase to melt rheology in both linear and nonlinear regimes. The remarkable increase in transient extensional viscosity and enhanced strain hardening resulting from the interfacial reaction in bilayer were demonstrated in terms of the interfacial stress. Besides, effect of reaction extent on extensional rheology was further examined, where it was found that interfacial stress increased with reaction time. The observed changes in rheology were attributed to the in situ formed interphase with graft copolymers and the resulting increased entanglements between neighboring layers. This study highlights the remarkable sensitivity of shear stress relaxation and especially extensional rheology to a reactive interphase.     

Dynamic Zn/Electrolyte Interphase and Enhanced Cation Transfer of Sol Electrolyte for All-Climate Aqueous Zinc Metal Batteries

Zn metal as one of the promising anodes of aqueous batteries possesses notable advantages, but it faces severe challenges from severe side reactions and notorious dendrite growth. Here, ultrathin nanosheets of α-zirconium phosphate (ZrP) are explored as an electrolyte additive. The nanosheets not only create a dynamic and reversible interphase on Zn but also promote the Zn²⁺ transportation in the electrolyte, especially in the outer Helmholtz plane near ZrP. Benefited from the enhanced kinetics and dynamic interphase, the pouch cells of Zn||LiMn₂O₄ using this electrolyte remarkably improve electrochemical performance under harsh conditions, i.e. Zn powders as the Zn anode, high mass loading, and wide temperatures. The results expand the materials available for this dynamic interphase, provide an insightful understanding of the enhanced charge transfer in the electrolyte, and realize the combination of dynamic interphase and enhanced kinetics for all-climate performance.     

Dynamic response of geometrically constrained vapor bubbles

We consider a two-dimensional model of a vapor bubble between two horizontal parallel boundaries held at different temperatures. When the temperatures are constant, a steady state can be achieved such that evaporation near the contact lines at the hot bottom plate is balanced by condensation in colder areas of the interface near the top. The dynamic response of the bubble is probed by treating the case of time-dependent wall temperatures. For periodic modulations of the wall temperature the bubble oscillates about the steady state. In order to describe such time-dependent behavior we consider the limit of small capillary number, in which the effects of heat and mass transfer are significant only near the contact lines at the bottom plate and in a small region near the top. When the bottom temperature is modulated and the top temperature is held fixed, the amplitude of forced oscillations is constant for low-frequency modulations and then rapidly decays in the high-frequency regime. When the top temperature is modulated with fixed bottom temperature, the dynamic-response curve is flat in the low-frequency regime as well, but it also flattens out when the frequency is increased. This shape of the response curve is shown to be the result of the nonmonotonic behavior of the thickness of the liquid film between the bubble interface and the top plate: when the temperature is decreased, the film thickness increases rapidly, but then slowly decays to a value which is smaller than the initial thickness. The dynamic response is also studied as a function of the forcing amplitude.     

4-苯乙炔苯酐封端聚酰亚胺树脂的合成与性能研究

使用3,3′,4,4′-二苯醚四酸二酐(ODPA)、3,3′,4,4′-联苯四酸二酐(BPDA)、1,3-双(4-氨基苯氧基)苯(1,3,4-APB)、3,4′-二氨基二苯醚(3,4′-ODA)和反应性封端剂4-苯乙炔苯酐(4-PEPA)合成了设计分子量为5000的系列苯乙炔基封端的聚酰亚胺低聚物,并使用XRD、DSC、TGA、FT-IR、DMA和流变仪等对低聚物的化学结构、热性能和熔体性能,固化后树脂的热性能和力学性能进行了测试.研究结果表明基于ODPA的低聚物具有低的熔体粘度和良好的熔体粘度稳定性,固化后的树脂具有很高的热失重温度,较高的玻璃化转变温度以及良好的力学性能尤其是高的断裂伸长率(>10%);基于BPDA的低聚物具有一定的结晶性,其结晶熔融温度与苯乙炔基固化交联温度相近,影响了材料的成型工艺性能.     

Durability and integrity studies of environmentally conditioned interfaces in fibrous polymeric composites: Critical concepts and comments

Fibre reinforced polymer (FRP) composites are the most promising and elegant material of the present century. Their durability and integrity in various service environments can be altered by the response of its constituent i.e. fibre, polymer matrix, and the existing interface/interphase between the fibre and polymer matrix, in that particular environment. The interphase is generally manifested by chemical bonding, molecular segregation and also by van der Waals bonding. The sizing of fibres generally influences the chemistry and character of the interface/interphase and might generate structural gradient in the polymer matrix. Their susceptibilities to degradation are dependent of the nature of environments and each of the constituents' responds differently and uniquely. Amongst the three constituents, the interface/interphase has a very critical role to play on the performance and reliability of FRP composites. The reduced glass transition temperature of the interphase may induce low modulus area, which subsequently affects fracture toughness and local stresses of the composite. These result in high fracture toughness at ambient temperatures, but significantly reduced performance at high temperatures.     

Study of the carbon fiber–poly(ether–ether–ketone) (PEEK) interfaces, 2: relationship between interfacial shear strength and adhesion energy

In the second part of this general study, the carbon fiber–PEEK interfacial shear strength is measured by means of a fragmentation test on single-fiber composites. Different thermal treatments (continuous cooling from the melt, isothermal treatments and long melting temperature time) are applied to these model composites prior to testing. The results are systematically compared with the previously determined reversible work of adhesion between carbon fiber and PEEK. It is shown that physical interactions at the interface determine, to a large extent, the magnitude of the interfacial shear strength between both materials. However, it appears that the magnitude of the stress transfer from the matrix to the fiber is affected either by the existence of an interfacial layer or by a preferential orientation of the polymer chains near the fiber surface. The results obtained on systems that have been subjected to isothermal treatments (isothermal crystallization of PEEK) seem to confirm the existence of a transcrystalline interphase, the properties of which are dependent upon the crystallization rate of the matrix and the interfacial adhesion energy.     

Ab Initio simulations of nonstoichiometric Cd(x)Te(1-x) liquids

We present ab initio molecular-dynamics simulations for Cd(x)Te(1-x) liquids where the composition is nonstoichiometric. The simulations are performed following Born-Oppenheimer molecular dynamics. The required forces are obtained from a solution of the Kohn-Sham equation using ab initio pseudopotentials. We consider stoichiometries of the form: Cd(x)Te(1-x), where x=0.2, 0.4, 0.6, and 0.8. For each composition of the melt, we consider a range of temperatures near the experimentally determined liquid temperatures. We examine the microstructural properties of the melt, the viscosity, and self-diffusion properties of the liquid as a function of the stoichiometry and temperature. We also perform an analysis of the distribution of the electronic density of states in these liquids. We find that structural changes in the local order, experimentally predicted to occur when the concentration of Cd is increased, are closely related to changes in the electronic properties of the melt.     

线型聚乙烯及其共聚物的挤出畸变与熔体粘弹性的关系

采用恒速型双筒毛细管流变仪研究了一类线型聚乙烯熔体的挤出畸变与熔体非线性粘弹性的关系。实验研究了发生畸变时挤出压力的振荡规律,发现线型大分子或带小侧基的大分子熔体,容易发生壁滑和挤出压力振荡;而有较大侧基、或分子量分布宽、或带大量短支链的熔体,挤出畸变现象较轻。挤出畸变与熔体的弹性及熔体．壁面吸附状态紧密相关。容易发生壁滑和挤出压力振荡的熔体,弹性较大(入口压力降大);在壁面的吸附作用强(壁面临界剪切应力大)。稳态剪切粘度大小与挤出畸变和压力振荡的关系不大;而拉伸应力和拉伸粘度大的熔体较易发生壁滑和挤出压力振荡。     

Study on the melt entry flow characteristics in axisymmetric dies with abrupt contraction by a visualization technique

The die entry characteristics of low density polyethylenes (LDPE) were studied using a 45 mm diameter single-screw extruder. The extruder incorporated a “transparent” die to enable direct visualization to be performed. With the addition of a small percent of red colour masterbatch into the main polymer bulk, melt circulation near the die entry at the wall was clearly observed. The dynamic behaviour of the polymer melt was recorded by a digital video recorder. Upon replaying the films, detailed qualitative and quantitative analysis of the flow characteristics was made. The die entry performance was defined by the dimensionless vortex size which was found to be most susceptible to the contraction ratio of a die. It was found that temperature and length to diameter ratio had little or no effects on the dimensionless vortex size which, in turn, may be estimated by either of the two correlations (one based on theory whereas the other was obtained from curve-fitting) developed.     

Melting, freezing, sublimation, and phase coexistence in sodium chloride nanocrystals

Calorimetry measurements, performed by multicollision induced dissociation, have been used to probe the melting of a number of (NaCl)nNa+ clusters with n=22-37. The clusters anneal at 225-325 K and melt at 750-850 K. (NaCl)22Na+ and (NaCl)37Na+, which can adopt geometries that are perfect fragments of the bulk lattice melt at around 850 K. The other clusters, which (except for n=31) must have defects, melt at temperatures which are up to 100 K lower than the perfect nanocrystals. The internal energy distributions become bimodal near the melting temperature. This is the signature of slow dynamic phase coexistence where clusters spontaneously jump back and forth between the solid and liquid states with an average period that is longer than required for thermal equilibration. The jump frequency must be between 10(4) and 10(7) s(-1) for the bimodal distribution to be observable in our experiments. The (NaCl)nNa+ clusters can dissociate by an unusual thermally activated process where melting and freezing raise the internal energy to generate hot solid clusters that can sublime before they cool to the ambient temperature.     

Melting and spherulitic crystallization of a phenyl benzoate

Melting and solidification of BPC (butyl p-(p-ethoxyphenoxy-carbonyl)phenylcarbonate) have been studied by polarization microscopy and differential scanning calorimetry. BPC can exist at room temperature in two different crystallographic modifications which melt directly into the nematic state at different temperatures (c. 330·5 K and 338·5 K). The nematic fluid crystallizes below c. 313 K to form simultaneously two types of spherulitic aggregates corresponding to the two crystal types. Both the spherulites possess a positive birefringence; but they vary significantly in their morphological and kinetic aspects. Further, in one of them the molecular long axes are radial, while in the other they are tangential. This fact emerges from optical and electrooptical observations on the pseudomorphic nematic domains obtained by melting the spherulites. Above 313 K, the crystals that grow are nonspherulitic, lamellar, biaxial and optically positive; they melt at c. 338·5 K. The glassy nematic state is realised by rapidly quenching the melt to a low temperature (100 K). On heating, the glassy state transforms into the supercooled nematic state near 234·5 K.     

Formation of spherulites in polyamides. V. “odd-odd” polyamides

The crystallization of a series of “odd-odd” polyamides has been examined for a variety of fusion conditions and crystallization temperatures. Diverse kinds of spherulites and other crystalline structures have been formed in these nylon polymers by direct crystallization from the melt and by melt-seeding techniques. The structures formed in this way have been characterized primarily with the aid of optical microscopy. In this series of polymers, characteristic textural features yield a fairly unified pattern of crystallization behavior. Crystalline aggregates are formed near the respective melting points of these polymers. In very thin sections (ca. 0.1μ), plateletlike crystals of high crystallinity exhibit optical and diffraction behavior characteristic of single crystals.     

Surface Activity of sp-Metals in Molten Intermetallic Compounds

The dependence of the surface-layer composition of a molten binary intermetallic compound (IMC) on factors determining electrochemical properties of liquid electrodes in indifferent electrolytes is studied. The segregation of the binary melt components at the interface with vacuum is considered in terms of physical materials technology. The interface state of the molten IMC is described by the Landau–Ginzburg functional for a surface excess of the Gibbs free energy. An examination of the functional shows that a minimum energy at a given temperature and system volume is reached by depositing the component with the lowest surface tension at the plain component's mp on the melt surface. The deposit has the character of a mesophase; therefore, it remains liquid at temperatures much lower than the plain component's mp in the bulk phase. The dilation interactions between atoms near the interface, caused by different atomic volumes of components, favor the deposition of the metal with a higher atomic volume. The calculated change of the surface tension of Ga–Tl IMC as related to plain Ga is close to relevant experimental value obtained on neutral Ga and Ga–Tl electrodes in an indifferent electrolyte.     

Fluid in a closed narrow slit

The behavior of a fluid inside a closed narrow slit between solid walls is examined on the basis of the density functional theory. It is shown that the constraint of constant number of molecules leads to interesting effects which are absent when the slit is open and in contact with a reservoir. If the slit walls are identical, the density profiles at low temperatures or at high average densities rhoav of the fluid molecules in the slit have a sharp maximum in the middle of the slit, the value of the density at maximum being comparable to that of a liquid. The density of fluid at the walls is in this case comparable to the density of a vapor phase. At high temperatures or at low rhoav the fluid density in the middle of the slit is of the same order of magnitude as at the walls. For nonidentical walls the density maximum is shifted towards the wall with a stronger wall-fluid interaction. The transition between the two types (with and without the sharp maximum) of density profiles with the change of temperature in the slit occurs in a narrow range of temperatures, this range being larger for narrower slits. The pressures which the fluid exerts on the walls as well as the forces per unit area arising due to stresses in the sidewalls of the system can decrease with increasing rhoav. Such a behavior is not possible for homogeneous systems and can be explained by analyzing the fluid density at the walls when rhoav increases. The normal and transversal components of the pressure tensor were calculated as functions of the distance from the wall using the equation of hydrostatic equilibrium and direct calculation of the forces between molecules, respectively. The normal component decreases with increasing distance near the wall in contrast to the normal component near the liquid-vapor interface reported previously in the literature. The behavior of the transverse component does not depend on the fluid-solid interaction and is comparable to that for a liquid-vapor interface.