Related papers: Structure of nanoparticles embedded in micellar po…
We model the stabilization of clusters and lattices of cuboidal particles with long-ranged magnetic dipolar and short-ranged surface interactions. Two realistic systems were considered: one with magnetization orientated in the [001]…
The method of formation of nanoparticle aggregates such as high-coverage spherical shells of microspheres or 3-D micro crystals grown in the geometry unaffected by a substrate is described. In the reported experiment, the evaporation of…
We introduced silica nanoparticles into poly ($N$,$N$-dimethylacrylamide) gel, (PDAM-NC gel), and poly (acrylamide) gel (PAM-NC gel), and carried out SAXS measurements under uniaxial elongation. It is well known that PDAM chains are…
The uptake and sorption of charged molecules by responsive polymer membranes and hydrogels in aqueous solutions is of key importance for the development of soft functional materials. Here we investigate the partitioning of simple monoatomic…
Nanoparticles have become increasingly interesting for a wide range of applications, because in principle it is possible to tailor their properties by controlling size, shape and composition. One of these applications is heterogeneous…
Microgels are soft colloids that, in virtue of their polymeric nature, can react to external stimuli such as temperature or pH by changing their size. The resulting swelling/deswelling transition can be exploited in fundamental research as…
Co-assembly of inorganic nanoparticles (NPs) and nanostructured polymer matrix represents an intricate interplay of enthalpic or entropic forces. Particle size largely affects the phase behavior of the nanocomposite. Theoretical studies…
We deposited thin layers of CdS and ZnS nanoparticles embedded in a thermoplastic cyclo-olephin copolymer (COC) with elevated optical transparency and highly bio-compatible. The nanoparticles were obtained by thiolate precursors previously…
Spatial confinement in nanoporous media affects the structure, thermodynamics and mobility of molecular soft matter often markedly. This article reviews thermodynamic equilibrium phenomena, such as physisorption, capillary condensation,…
Polymers with both soluble and insoluble blocks typically self-assemble into micelles, aggregates of a finite number of polymers where the soluble blocks shield the insoluble ones from contact with the solvent. Upon increasing…
The orientation of the lamellae formed by the phase separation of symmetric diblock copolymer thin films is strongly affected by the wetting properties of the polymer blocks with respect to the substrate. On bare silicon wafers the lamellae…
We report on the formation and the structural properties of supermicellar aggregates also called electrostatic complexes, made from mineral nanoparticles and polyelectrolyte-neutral block copolymers in aqueous solutions. The mineral…
We study the diffusion of water in weakly-hydrated samples of the smectite clay Na-fluorohectorite. The quasi one-dimensional samples are dry compounds of nano-layered particles consisting of ~ 80 silicate platelets. Water diffuses into a…
We study the effect of the molecular architecture of amphiphilic star polymers on the shape of aggregates they form in water. Both solute and solvent are considered at a coarse-grained level by means of dissipative particle dynamics…
Nanocrystalline bulk materials are desirable for many applications as they combine mechanical strength and specific electronic transport properties. Our bottom up approach starts with tailored nanoparticles. Compaction and thermal treatment…
The dynamics of polypropylene glycol, both neat and attached to silica nanoparticles, were investigated using elastic neutron backscattering and dielectric spectroscopy. The mean square displacement measured by the former is suppressed by…
The evolution of the polymer structure during nanocomposite formation and annealing of silica-latex nanocomposites is studied using contrast-variation small angle neutron scattering. The experimental system is made of silica nanoparticles…
Electric dipoles of water molecules, enclosed singly in regularly spaced nanopores of a cordierite crystal, become ordered at low temperature due to their mutual interaction and show the frequency dependence of their dielectric…
Micelles and vesicles are promising candidates in targeted drug/gene delivery, bioreactors, and templates for nanoparticle synthesis. We investigated the morphology and dynamics of PEG-PDMS-PEG triblock copolymer nano-scale assemblies…
The self-assembly of copolymeric vesicles and micelles in micromixers is studied by External Potential Dynamics (EPD) simulations -- a dynamic density functional approach that explicitly accounts for the polymer architecture both at the…