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We address the physics of nematic liquid crystalline elastomers randomly crosslinked in the isotropic state. To do this, we construct a phenomenological effective replica Hamiltonian in terms of two order-parameter fields: one for the…
The equilibrium phase diagram of a 1:1 symmetrical mixture composed of oppositely charged colloids is calculated using Monte Carlo simulations. We model the system by the DLVO effective interaction potential. The phase diagram is similar to…
We study theoretically situations where competition arises between an interdiffusion process and a cross-linking chemical reaction at interfaces between pieces of the same polymer material. An example of such a situation is observable in…
When an ionic liquid adsorbs onto a porous electrode, its ionic arrangement is deeply modified due to a screening of the Coulombic interactions by the metallic surface and by the confinement imposed upon it by the electrode's morphology. In…
Bilayer lipid membranes [BLMs] are an essential component of all biological systems, forming a functional barrier for cells and organelles from the surrounding environment. The lipid molecules that form membranes contain both permanent and…
Electrospun nanofibrous membranes of natural polymers, such as gelatin, are fundamental in the design of regenerative devices. Crosslinking of electrospun fibres from gelatin is required to prevent dissolution in water, to retain the…
Interactions between actin, an anionic polyelectrolyte, and lysozyme, a cationic globular protein, have been examined using a combination of synchrotron small-angle x-ray scattering and molecular dynamics simulations. Lysozyme initially…
Zhelev and Needham have recently created large, quasi-stable pores in artificial lipid bilayer vesicles [Biochim. Biophys. Acta 1147 (1993) 89]. Initially created by electroporation, the pores remain open for up to several seconds before…
Progress in electrochemical applications of ionic liquids builds on an understanding of electrical double-layer. This computational study focuses on structure-determined quantities -- maximum packing density, potentials and capacitances --…
The crystalline ground state of macroions confined between two neutral parallel plates in the presence of their homogeneously spread counterions is calculated by lattice-sum minimization of candidate phases involving up to six layers. For…
A new class of high-performance pyrrolidinium cation based ionanofluid electrolytes with higher lithium salt concentration are developed. The electrolytes are formed by dispersing imidazolium ionic liquid functionalized TiO2 nanoparticles…
Living and engineered systems rely on the stable coexistence of two interspersed liquid phases. Yet surface tension drives their complete separation. Here we show that stable droplets of uniform and tuneable size can be produced through…
In the presence of a non-adsorbing polymer, monodisperse rod-like colloids assemble into one-rod-length thick liquid-like monolayers, called colloidal membranes. The density of the rods within a colloidal membrane is determined by a balance…
Ion-conducting glasses and polymer systems show several characteristic peculiarities in their composition-dependent diffusion properties and in their dynamic response. First we give a brief review of the current understanding of the ion…
We develop a theory for the description of ionic liquids (ILs) confined in a porous medium formed by a matrix of immobile randomly placed uncharged particles. The IL is modelled as an electroneutral mixture of hardsphere anions and flexible…
We consider an osmotic equilibrium between bulk solutions of polyelectrolyte bounded by semipermeable membranes and separated by a thin film of salt-free liquid. Although the membranes are neutral, the counter-ions of the polyelectrolyte…
The static dielectric properties of dense ionic fluids, e.g., room temperature ionic liquids (RTILs) and inorganic fused salts, are investigated on different length scales by means of grandcanonical Monte Carlo simulations. A generally…
Next-generation high-efficiency Li-ion batteries require an electrolyte that is both safe and thermally stable. A possible choice for high performance all-solid-state Li-ion batteries is a liquid crystal, which possesses properties…
In ion-exchange membrane processes, ions and water flow under the influence of gradients in hydrostatic pressure, ion chemical potential, and electrical potential (voltage), leading to solvent flow, ionic fluxes and ionic current. At the…
Colloidal particles with appropriate wetting properties can become very strongly trapped at an interface between two immiscible fluids. We have harnessed this phenomenon to create a new class of soft materials with intriguing and…