Related papers: Controlling phase separation in microgel-polymeric…
Binary mixtures are known to phase separate via both nucleation and spinodal decomposition, depending on the initial composition and extent of the quench. Here we develop an energy landscape view of phase separation and non-ideality in…
Melting kinetics of polycrystalline materials is analyzed on the basis of a new model which explicitly couples homogeneous and heterogeneous melting mechanisms. The distinct feature of this approach lies in its ability to evaluate not only…
We study the phase behavior of single homopolymers in a simple hydrophobic/hydrophilic off-lattice model with sequence independent local interactions. The specific heat is, not unexpectedly, found to exhibit a pronounced peak well below the…
We study phase separation and transient gelation in a mixture consisting of polydisperse colloids and non-adsorbing polymers, where the ratio of the average size of the polymer to that of the colloid is approximately 0.063. Unlike what has…
Microgels are complex macromolecules. These colloid-sized polymer networks possess internal degrees of freedom and, depending on the polymer(s) they are made of, can acquire a responsiveness to variations of the environment (temperature,…
We use large-scale molecular dynamics simulations to study the kinetics of the liquid-gas phase separation if the temperature is lowered across the glass transition of the dense phase. We observe a gradual change from phase separated…
A central quantity in the design of functional hydrogels used as nanocarrier systems, for instance for drug delivery or adaptive nanocatalysis, is the partition ratio, which quantifies the uptake of a molecular substance by the polymer…
We consider here a blend made of two types of polymers, $A$ and $B$, of different chemical nature. At high temperature the homogeneous mixture is cross-linked. As the temperature is lowered, the two species try to segregate but are kept…
The influence of shape fluctuations on deformable thermosensitive microgels in aqueous solution is investigated by dynamic light scattering (DLS) and depolarized dynamic light scattering (DDLS). The systems under study consist of a solid…
Employing small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), we explore the conditions under which the assembly of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) grafted with the thermo-sensitive polymer Poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM) emerges. We find that short-range…
In active microrheology the mechanical properties of a material are tested by adding probe particles which are pulled by an external force. In case of supercooled liquids, strong forcing leads to a thinning of the host material which…
A theoretical study was conducted of the size dependence of the blocking temperature of a system of interacting core/shell nanoparticles. A method for estimating the blocking temperature of interacting core/shell nanoparticles is presented,…
We study both experimentally and theoretically the self-assembly of binary block copolymers in dilute solution, where self-assembly is triggered by changing the solvent from the common good solvent THF to the selective solvent water, and…
Temperature and PtCo composition dependence of exchange bias in PtxCo1-x/CoO bilayers is investigated. It is observed that exchange bias properties, blocking temperature and magnetic anisotropy of the PtxCo1-x/CoO thin films are strongly…
We consider gelation of colloidal particles in suspension after cessation of shear flow. Particle aggregation is driven by a temperature-tunable attractive potential which controls the growth of clusters under isothermal conditions. A…
Stimuli-responsive lyogels are considered to be smart materials due to their capability of undergoing significant macroscopic changes in response to external triggers. Due to their versatile and unique properties, smart lyogels exhibit…
Ionic microgel particles are intriguing systems in which the properties of thermo-responsive polymeric colloids are enriched by the presence of charged groups. In order to rationalize their properties and predict the behaviour of microgel…
PEP-PEO block copolymer micelles offer the possibility to investigate phase behaviour and interactions of star polymers (ultra-soft colloids). A star-like architecture is achieved by an extremely asymmetric block ratio (1:20). Micellar…
Results of torsional oscillation tests are reported that were performed at the temperature T=230C on melts of a hybrid nanocomposite consisting of isotactic polypropylene reinforced with 5 wt.% of montmorillonite clay. Prior to mechanical…
Ice-templating is a well-established processing route for porous ceramics. Because of the structure/properties relationships, it is essential to better understand and control the solidification microstructures. Ice-templating is based on…