Analogy in the adsorption of random copolymers and homopolymers at solid-liquid interface: a Monte Carlo simulation study

The adsorption of random copolymers at solid-liquid interface from a nonselective solvent has been studied by Monte Carlo simulation in a cubic lattice. The polymeric molecules are modeled as self-avoiding linear chains composed of two types of segments A and B. The effects of copolymer composition (A/B ratio), segment-surface interaction, and bulk concentration are examined on the thermodynamic and structural adsorption properties including surface coverage, adsorption amount, adsorption layer thickness, and microscopic density distribution. At a given newly introduced effective adsorption energy, random copolymers are found to behave quantitatively as homopolymers regardless of the copolymer composition and surface affinity. This remarkable analogy provides an efficient way in predicting the adsorption of random copolymers from homopolymers.     

A theoretical and simulation study of the self-assembly of a binary blend of diblock copolymers

Pure diblock copolymer melts exhibit a narrow range of conditions at which bicontinuous and cocontinuous phases are stable; such conditions and the morphology of such phases can be tuned by the use of additives. In this work, we have studied a bidisperse system of diblock copolymers using theory and simulation. In particular, we elucidated how a short, lamellar-forming diblock copolymer modifies the phase behavior of a longer, cylinder-forming diblock copolymer. In a narrow range of intermediate compositions, self-consistent field theory predicts the formation of a gyroid phase although particle-based simulations show that three phases compete: the gyroid phase, a disordered cocontinuous phase, and the cylinder phase, all having free energies within error bars of each other. Former experimental studies of a similar system have yielded an unidentified, partially irregular bicontinuous phase, and our simulations suggest that at such conditions the formation of a partially transformed network phase is indeed plausible. Close examination of the spatial distribution of chains reveals that packing frustration (manifested by chain stretching and low density spots) occurs in the majority-block domains of the three competing phases simulated. In all cases, a double interface around the minority-block domains is also detected with the outer one formed by the short chains, and the inner one formed by the longer chains.     

Structure,thermodynamics and diffusion in asymmetric binary mixtures: a molecular dynamics simulation study

Structural and thermodynamic properties as well as diffusion coefficients of binary fluid mixtures with asymmetry in mass, size, charge and their combinations have been studied using classical molecular dynamics simulations. The fluid mixture is modelled as spherical particles interacting via the Weeks–Chandler–Andersen and Coulomb potential. The diameter, charge and mass of the fluid particles are in the range 6–60 Å, 1–10e and 1—500 amu, respectively. Systematic variations in pair-correlation functions, thermodynamic properties as well as the self-diffusion coefficient are found with the size, charge and mass ratio of the particles. The self-diffusion coefficient for systems having more than one type of asymmetry is calculated and expressed in terms of diffusion coefficients of systems with only one type of asymmetry.     

A tracer study of the hydrolysis of methyl methacrylate and methyl acrylate units in homopolymers and copolymers

Homopolymers and copolymers were prepared from methyl methacrylate, methyl acrylate, and styrene by radical reactions at 60°C. Monomers suitably labeled with carbon-14 were used so that it was possible to monitor the hydrolysis of ester groups in the polymers during treatment under alkaline conditions. It was found that methyl acrylate units were hydrolyzed completely whatever their environment in a polymer chain. Under the same conditions only about 9% of the ester groups in a homopolymer of methyl methacrylate reacted; the proportion was increased by the introduction of comonomer units into the polymer chain. For copolymers of methyl methacrylate with methyl acrylate the extent of reaction may be correlated with the lengths of the sequences of methyl methacrylate units.     

Molecular dynamics study of the surface tension of a binary immiscible fluid

The planar interface between two liquids having two degrees of affinity to mix has been studied by molecular dynamics simulations. The surface tension is calculated from the normal, PN, and transverse, PT, components of the pressure tensor P for a wide range of temperatures. An unusual increase in surface tension with increasing temperature is attributed to a pressure induced void transfer mechanism that is justified by basic thermodynamic arguments. This effect is diminished on the addition of a modest attractive potential between the two species, and there is a turnover point at higher temperatures beyond which the surface tension decreases with increasing temperature. An order parameter is identified as the gradient of the mole fraction distribution through the interfacial region. An additional effect is the dramatic inversion of the kinetic and potential contributions to the PN profile as the temperature is varied. It is found that a commonly used approximation for P, the Irving-Kirkwood 1 or IK1 method, results in a relatively modest unphysical variability in PN that weakly violates the condition of local mechanical stability. However, this artifact does not prevent the IK1 method from producing an interfacial tension which is nearly identical to that derived from the complete IK formula with no additional approximations.     

Modeling viscoelastic properties of triblock copolymers: A DPD simulation study

Gel systems based on self‐assembled, amphiphilic ABA triblock copolymers in midblock‐selective solvent form stable, spatially extended networks with controllable morphology and tunable viscoelastic behavior. In this work, we systematically evaluate the mechanical properties of these gels using morphology calculations, and a nonequilibrium oscillatory shear technique based on the dissipative particle dynamics (DPD) method. Our simulations demonstrate that low molecular weight triblock copolymers with incompatible blocks self‐assemble into micelles connected with bridges and loop‐like chains comprised of the solvent‐selective polymer midblocks. The fraction of bridges, ?_b, generally increases with increasing relative volume of the midblock, x, defined as the ratio of midblock and endblock volumes ( ). For our model, ?_b reaches a plateau at approximately x > 9 for a strongly selective solvent. At this limit, the value of ?_b increases from 0.40 to about 0.66 as the copolymer concentration, c, increases from 0.2 to 0.5; however, this increase is less significant at higher concentrations. The elastic response of the gel studied here is comparable with the Rouse modulus. The elastic modulus increases with polymer concentration, and it exhibits a broad peak within 6 < x < 12. Finally, we present an approximate method to predict the elastic modulus of unentangled ABA triblock copolymers based solely on the morphology of the micellar gel, which can be gleaned from equilibrium DPD simulations. We demonstrate that our simulation results are in good qualitative agreement with other theoretical predictions and experimental data. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 48: 15–25, 2010     

Shear induced mixing/demixing: blends of homopolymers,of homopolymers plus copolymers,and blends in solution

Shear may shift the phase boundary towards the homogeneous state (shear induced mixing, SIM), or in the opposite direction (shear induced demixing, SID). SIM is the typical behavior of mixtures of components of low molar mass and polymer solutions, SID can be observed with solutions of high molar mass polymers and polymer blends at higher shear rates. The typical sequence with increasing shear rate is SIM, then occurrence of an isolated additional immiscible area (SID), melting of this island into the main miscibility gap, and finally SIM again. A three phase line originates and ends in two critical end points. Raising pressure increases the shear effects. For copolymer containing systems SID is sometimes observed at very low shear rates, preceding the just mentioned sequence of shear influences.     

Molten globule state in homopolymers:A Monte Carlo study

Simple models of polymer chains were based on a simple cubic lattice. The model chains were star‐branched with f = 3 and f = 6 branches. The attractive potential between polymer segments was introduced to study the properties of polymer chains in the different temperature regimes. The computer simulations were carried out by means of the dynamic Monte Carlo method. It was found that contrary to recent real experiments, the ratio of the radius of gyration to the hydrodynamic radius did not exhibit a maximum near the coil‐globule transition but decreased monotonically with the temperature. The distribution of polymer‐polymer contacts and their lifetimes were also studied. It appeared that in homopolymer chains the lifetimes of these contacts were very short. At low temperatures contacts were distributed over the entire chain and at high temperatures only contacts that were close to the chain survived longer times.     

Dipolar and dispersion interactions in nematogens A computer simulation study

A classical system, consisting of identical cylindrically symmetric particles, with centres fixed on a simple-cubic lattice, may or may not support nematic—like orientational order depending on the interaction potential. For example, a Lebwohl-Lasher potential model produces orientational order, as does an anisotropic London—de Boer dispersion potential restricted to nearest neighbours, although increasing its range destroys the orientational order and brings about a staggered configuration of the system. In consequence, a Maier-Saupe molecular field treatment is appropriate in the first two cases, but not in the last. On the other hand, according to computer simulation results, a purely dipolar interaction produces a low temperature antiferroelectric phase which can be regarded as an extreme case of a nematogen. We carried out Monte Carlo simulations on a potential model defined by a linear combination of dipolar and full ranged London-de Boer dispersion terms, in order to study their competition. To save computer time and yet monitor the physically relevant changes, we have varied their relative weights, while keeping fixed both the temperature and the anisotropy parameter in the dispersion potential. Simulation results show that in energetic terms the two interactions are cooperative, whereas in structural terms their interplay brings about first a weak but recognizable increase of nematic ordering, and then its collapse with the onset of the staggered configuration.     

Static and dynamic critical behavior of a symmetrical binary fluid: a computer simulation

A symmetrical binary, A+B Lennard-Jones mixture is studied by a combination of semi-grand-canonical Monte Carlo (SGMC) and molecular dynamics (MD) methods near a liquid-liquid critical temperature T(c). Choosing equal chemical potentials for the two species, the SGMC switches identities (A-->B-->A) to generate well-equilibrated configurations of the system on the coexistence curve for TT(c). A finite-size scaling analysis of the concentration susceptibility above T(c) and of the order parameter below T(c) is performed, varying the number of particles from N=400 to 12 800. The data are fully compatible with the expected critical exponents of the three-dimensional Ising universality class. The equilibrium configurations from the SGMC runs are used as initial states for microcanonical MD runs, from which transport coefficients are extracted. Self-diffusion coefficients are obtained from the Einstein relation, while the interdiffusion coefficient and the shear viscosity are estimated from Green-Kubo expressions. As expected, the self-diffusion constant does not display a detectable critical anomaly. With appropriate finite-size scaling analysis, we show that the simulation data for the shear viscosity and the mutual diffusion constant are quite consistent both with the theoretically predicted behavior, including the critical exponents and amplitudes, and with the most accurate experimental evidence.     

Stability of Ca-montmorillonite hydrates: a computer simulation study

Classic simulations are used to study interlayer structure, swelling curves, and stability of Ca-montmorillonite hydrates. For this purpose, NP(zz)T and muP(zz)T ensembles are sampled for ground level and given burial conditions. For ground level conditions, a double layer hydrate having 15.0 A of basal spacing is the predominant state for relative vapor pressures (p/p0) ranging 0.6-1.0. A triple hydrate counting on 17.9 A of interlaminar distance was also found stable for p/p0 = 1.0. For low vapor pressures, the system may produce a less hydrated but still double layer state with 13.5 A or even a single layer hydrate with 12.2 A of interlaminar distance. This depends on the established initial conditions. On the other hand, the effect of burial conditions is two sided. It was found that it enhances dehydration for all vapor pressures except for saturation, where swelling is promoted.     

Molecular force field investigation for Sulfur Hexafluoride: A computer simulation study

Force fields for Sulfur Hexafluoride (SF₆) from the literature, were investigated by means of their ability to reproduce experimental data in a wide range of thermodynamic conditions, including liquid, gas, vapor–liquid coexistence curve as well as supercritical states. Experimental data include numerous PVT state points, corresponding structural properties in terms of radial distribution functions, diffusion coefficient and shear viscosity. The existing force fields were extensively examined in the framework of molecular dynamics simulations and it is found that they do not accurately reproduce the macroscopic properties of the fluid, especially at high densities. To overcome this problem with the aim to obtain improved potential parameters that better reproduce experimental data, a multi-variable optimization of the force field parameters procedure has been systematically applied based on the “Simplex” method. Finally, it is found that for some common functional forms of these force fields, the new optimized parameters predict better the experimental properties of SF₆ under investigation compared to the original ones.     

Properties of grafted amphiphilic chains. A computer simulation study

The model of a heteropolymer film formed by polypeptide chains was used for theoretical considerations. The linear chains consisting of amino acid residues were approximated by alpha carbon chains. Each chain was constructed on a very flexible [310] lattice. The inter- and intramolecular interactions consisted of the long-range contact potential between residues. The chains were built of hydrophilic and hydrophobic residues. Chains were terminally attached to an impenetrable surface with lateral motions possible. The Monte Carlo simulations of this model were carried out by using the Metropolis algorithm. The influence of the grafting density, the sequence of the amino acid residues, and the temperature on the static properties of the formed layer were studied and discussed. It was shown that homopolymer chains collapsed at higher temperature than the heteropolymers. The size of the polymers forming brush was smaller for homopolymers than for heteropolymers. The structure of the resulting polymer film and of its external surface was determined. The block copolymers formed well defined hydrophobic and hydrophilic layers, while for the amphiphilic case the composition of the brush layers changed continuously at high temperature. It was observed that the latter effect vanished at the collapsed amphiphilic copolymer.     

Thermodynamics of chemisorption: induced surface segregation in binary alloys

Numerical results are presented for the segregational behaviour in the hydrogen-adsorbed Ni_xCui_1-x alloy system in which the equilibria of adsorption and segregation are treated in a self-consistent manner. For the powdered systems the nickel atoms are found to segregate to the surface in the presence of H adatoms. In crystalline alloy systems the Cu atoms segregate to the surface, but the amount of Cu segregation in the presence of H adatoms is less than that for a clean alloy surface.     

Temperature dependence of the colloidal agglomeration inhibition: computer simulation study

There exist experimental evidences that the structure and extension of colloidal aggregates in suspensions change dramatically with temperature. This results in an associated change in the suspension rheology. Experimental studies of the inhibitor applications to control the particle clustering have revealed some unexpected tendencies. Namely, the heating of colloidal suspensions has provoked either extension or reduction of the colloidal aggregates. To elucidate the origin of this behavior, we investigate the influence of temperature on the stabilizing effect of the inhibitor, applying an associative two-component fluid model. Our results of the canonical Monte Carlo simulations indicate that the anomalous effect of the temperature may not be necessarily explained by the temperature dependent changes in the inhibitor tail conformation, as has been suggested recently by Won et al. [Langmuir 21, 924 (2005)]. We show that the competition between colloid-colloid and colloid-inhibitor associations, which, in turn, depends on the temperature and the relative concentrations, may be one of the main reasons for the unexpected temperature dependence of inhibitor efficacy.     

Hydrogen bonding in liquid alcohols: a computer simulation study

A series of molecular dynamics simulations has been performed to investigate hydrogen bonding in liquid alcohols. The systems considered have been methanol, ethanol, ethylene glycol and glycerol at 298 K. The hydrogen bonding statistics as well as the mean lifetime of the hydrogen bonds are analyzed. The results are compared with those corresponding to liquid water.     

Mass dependence of mutual diffusion coefficient: computer simulation study

Molecular dynamic computer simulations are performed to study the mass dependence of mutual diffusion coefficient in an isotopic, equimolar binary system. The particles of the system are assumed to be interacting via Lennard-Jones potential. The self- and mutual diffusion coefficients are calculated from the time dependence of the mean square displacement and from the velocity correlation function using the Green–Kubo formula. The study has been carried out at different densities and temperatures. Like the self-diffusion coefficient, the mutual diffusion coefficient is also found to be weakly dependent on the mass ratio. Our study also shows that the temperature of the system has a negligible effect on the mass dependence of the diffusion coefficients.     

Controlling the size of nanostructures in thin films via blending of block copolymers and homopolymers

The effects of molecular weight and concentration of poly (methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) homopolymer or symmetric short polystyrene-block-poly (methyl methacrylate) (PS-b-PMMA) diblock copolymer on the size of the nanostructures of its blends with symmetric long PS-b-PMMA diblock copolymer have been investigated by atomic force microscopy. By careful controlling of the film thickness, solvent selectivity, and annealing time, PMMA cylindrical microdomains oriented normal to the film surface were obtained in all thin films. With the addition of both low- and high-molecular-weight PMMA homopolymers, the cylindrical domain sizes increased although it was less obvious for the lower molecular weight homopolymer. In contrast to the homopolymer, adding the short chain diblock copolymer resulted in a decrease in the cylindrical domain size, which was ascribed to the reduction of the interfacial tension and increase in the stretching energy.     

A computer simulation study of the ordered phases of some mesogenic fullerene derivatives

We present a Monte Carlo simulation study of the phase behaviour and molecular organization of a system of fullerene-based mesogens, represented by a three-site model composed of a fullerene sphere and two mesogenic moieties rigidly attached to it. It is shown that a combination of suitably modified Lennard-Jones and Gay–Berne attractive–repulsive potentials allows a satisfactory qualitative modeling of the interactions between the fullerene derivatives under investigation. Indeed, simulation results show that, despite the crude representation of the molecular structure, our model generates nematic and smectic phases, thus accounting qualitatively for the basic experimental observations on the class of compounds considered.