Related papers: Recent advances in structural and dynamical proper…
We are presenting a new method of processing polystyrene-silica nanocomposites, which results in a very well-defined dispersion of small primary aggregates (assembly of 15 nanoparticles of 10 nm diameter) in the matrix. The process is based…
This paper presents a study of the polymer-filler interfacial effects on filler dispersion and mechanical reinforcement in Polystyrene (PS) / silica nanocomposites by direct comparison of two model systems: un-grafted and PS-grafted silica…
A study of the reinforcement effect of a soft polymer matrix by hard nanometric filler particles is presented. In the main part of this article, the structure of the silica filler in the matrix is studied by Small Angle Neutron Scattering…
Precise control over the flow behavior of liquids is a critical problem and is demanding for multifaceted applications. Introducing surface-engineered nanoparticles into the liquid can tune the flow behavior. However, the extent of…
We study the structural and dynamical mechanisms of reinforcement of a polymer nanocomposite (PNC) via coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulations. In a regime of strong polymer-filler interactions, the stress at failure of the PNC is…
The structural features of polystyrene brushes grafted on spherical silica nanoparticles immersed in polystyrene are investigated by means of a Monte Carlo methodology based on polymer mean field theory. The nanoparticle radii (either 8 nm…
We perform a systematic application of the hybrid particle-field molecular dynamics technique [Milano et al, J. Chem. Phys. 2009, 130, 214106] to study interfacial properties and potential of mean force (PMF) for separating nanoparticles…
Simplified silica (Zeosil 1165 MP) and SBR (140k carrying silanol end-groups) nanocomposites have been formulated by mixing of a reduced number of ingredients with respect to industrial applications. The thermo-mechanical history of the…
Polymer-grafted nanoparticles are versatile building blocks that self-assemble into a rich diversity of mesostructures. Coarse-grained molecular simulations have commonly accompanied experiments by resolving structure formation pathways and…
A new method based on the combination of small-anglescattering, reverse Monte Carlo simulations, and an aggregate recognition algorithm is proposed to characterize the structure of nanoparticle suspensions in solvents and polymer…
The recent development of nanoscale fillers, such as carbon nanotube, graphene, and nanocellulose, allows the functionality of polymer nanocomposites to be controlled and enhanced. However, conventional synthesis methods of polymer…
Polystyrene-based phosphorene nanocomposites were prepared by a solvent blending procedure allowing the embedding of black phosphorus (BP) nanoflakes in the polymer matrix. Raman spectroscopy, X Ray Diffraction and TEM microscopy were…
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 self-assembly of polymer grafted nanoparticles is more and more used in the field of functional materials. However, there is still a lack of analysis on the dynamic transformation paths of different self-assembly morphologies, which…
The paper presents a comprehensive analysis of elastic properties of polystyrene-based nanocomposites filled with different types of inclusions: small spherical particles (SiO2 and Al2O3), alumosilicates (montmorillonite, halloysite natural…
Over the past two decades polymer nanocomposites have received tremendous interest from industry and academia due to their advanced properties comparative to polymer blends. Many computational studies have revealed that the macroscopic…
Graphene-based nanostructured systems and van-der-Waals heterostructures comprise a material class of growing technological and scientific importance. Joining materials with vastly different properties, polymer-graphene heterosystems…
The characterization of protein-nanoparticle assemblies in solution remains a challenge. We demonstrate a technique based on a graphene microelectrode for structural-functional analysis of model systems composed of nanoparticles enclosed in…
The focus in this paper is an analysis of existing state of the arts directed toward the development of the next generation of vibration damping systems. The research work concentrates on an investigation related to…
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.…