Related papers: Organic versus Hybrid Coacervate Complexes : Co-As…
We report the synthesis of complex salts made from the cationic surfactant dodecyltrimethyl-ammonium and diblock copolymers poly(acrylic acid)-block-poly(acrylamide) of different molecular weights. In water, the complex salts self-assemble…
Polyelectrolyte-surfactant complexes (PESCs) have long been employed as oil-in-water (o/w) emulsions stabilizers, but never in the structure of colloidal complex coacervates providing a Pickering effect. The complexed state of PESCs could…
The structural control of silicon nanocrystals is an important technological problem. Typically a distribution of nanocrystal sizes and shapes emerges under the uncontrolled aggregation of smaller clusters. The aim of this computational…
We propose a theoretical investigation of the physical adsorption of neutral comb-polymers with an adsorbing skeleton and non-adsorbing side-chains on a flat surface. Such polymers are particularly interesting as "dynamic coating" matrices…
We investigate the impact of water, a polar solvent, on the optical absorption of prototypical silicon clusters with oxygen passivation. We approach this complex problem by assessing the contributions of three factors: chemical reactivity;…
We investigate the photoconductance of single-walled carbon nanotube-nanocrystalhybrids. The nanocrystals are bound to the nanotubes via molecular recognition. We find that the photoconductance of the hybrids can be adjusted by the…
The complexation of micelles or charged nanoparticles with neutral-charged block copolymers in aqueous solutions leads to the formation of colloidal superstructures also termed 'colloidal complexes'. Their primary interest relies in their…
Water adsorption on silicate surfaces is a critical yet poorly understood process relevant to, e.g., mineral weathering and cement hydration. This study investigates the structure of water overlayers on a model calcium silicate, the…
Polycrystalline samples and submillimeter size single crystals of Na-doped Ca2CuO2Cl2 have been synthesized under high pressure. A series of experiments showed that the Na content depends not only on the pressure during the synthesis but…
This paper presents a detailed study of the hydrogen adsorption properties of small silicon-lithium binary nanoclusters. The stabilities of H2 adsorbed binary clusters are assured by maximum hardness and minimum electrophilicity principle.…
Colloidosomes provide a possibility to encapsulate oily substances in water in the form of core-in-shell structures. In this study, we produced microcapsules with shell from colloidal particles, where the interparticle openings are blocked…
We compare, through first-principles pseudopotential calculations, the structural, electronic and optical properties of different size silicon nanoclusters embedded in a SiO2 crystalline or amorphous matrix, with that of free-standing,…
We investigate by scattering techniques the structure of water-based soft composite materials comprising a crystal made of Pluronic block-copolymer micelles arranged in a face-centered cubic lattice and a small amount (at most 2% by volume)…
The nonocomposites on the base of long (5-10 $\mu$m, ${o}$-MWCNTs) and short (2 $\mu$m, ${m}$-MWCNTs) multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) hosted by nematic 5CB were investigated in details by means of polarizing microscopy, studies of…
Chain-like macromolecules (polymers) show characteristic adsorption properties due to their flexibility and internal degrees of freedom, when attracted to surfaces and interfaces. In this review we discuss concepts and features that are…
The adsorption of organic molecules coumarin and the donor-$\pi$-acceptor type tetrahydroquinoline (C2-1) on anatase (101) and (001) nanowires have been investigated using screened Coulomb hybrid density functional theory calculations.…
Based on experimental and simulation methods we helped develop, we are advancing mechanistic understanding of how self-assembled NC metamaterials can produce distinctive near- and far-field optical properties not readily achievable in…
We study slow light performance of molecular aggregates arranged in nanofilms by means of coherent population oscillations (CPO). The molecular cooperative behavior inside the aggregate enhances the delay of input signals in the GHz range…
We report the first principle theory-based study of stability, electronic structure and optical properties of cluster assembled materials in various 1D, 2D and 3D nanostructures using a cage-like Cd9Te9 cluster as the super-atom. The bulk…
Some of our recent studies of the structure and mechanical properties of a special type of nanocomposite are reviewed here. In silica-latex systems, a latex film with silica inclusions is formed from a colloidal solution of both components.…