Related papers: Link between morphology, structure and interaction…
Microgels are soft colloidal particles that, when dispersed in a solvent, swell and deswell in response to changes in environmental conditions, such as temperature, concentration, and $p$H. Using Monte Carlo simulation, we model bulk…
Hydrogels are promising systems for separation applications due to their structural characteristics (i.e. hydrophilicity and porosity). In our study, we investigate the permeation of suspensions of rigid latex particles of different sizes…
Effect of microstructures and interactions on segmental dynamics in polyethylene glycol (PEG) solution in water is probed with macro-scale oscillatory rheology and micro-scale diffusion of a fluorescent probe. PEG solution fluorescence…
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 report a computer simulation study of a model gel-former obtained by modifying the three-body interactions of the Stillinger-Weber potential for silicon. This modification reduces the average coordination number and consequently shifts…
Temperature-responsive polymeric micelles have great potential in drug delivery, enhancing therapeutic efficacy while minimizing systemic toxicity. This study investigates the self-assembly of poly(ethylene…
Physically assembled gels have promising applications in many fields because of their tunable mechanical properties. Here, we report the mechanical properties as a function of polymer volume fraction ($\phi$) for a physical gel system…
We report on the poroelastic indentation response of hydrogel thin films geometrically confined within contacts with rigid spherical probes of radii in the millimeter range. Poly(PEGMA) (poly(ethylene glycol)) methyl ether methacrylate),…
We explore the effect of poly (ethylene glycol) (PEG) molar mass on the intrinsic permeability and structural characteristics of poly (ethylene glycol) diacrylate PEGDA/PEG composite hydrogel membranes. We observe that by varying the PEG…
The industrial implementation of biofuel production from lignocellulosic biomass faces a number of economic obstacles. One of these is the cost of enzymes, typically used for cellulose hydrolysis. Nature provides some hints towards the…
Poly-N-isopropylacrylamide (PNIPAM) phase diagram is explored in a wide range of temperature and pressure using extensive all-atom molecular dynamics simulations. By exploiting a simple model of an atactic linear polymer chain, we provide…
The study of the structural behaviour of pure and multi-component lipids at various temperatures and the interaction of these multi-component lipids with pharmaceutically important drugs carry huge importance. Here, we investigated the…
The formation of colloidal gels is strongly dependent on the volume fraction of the system and the strength of the interactions between the colloids. Here we explore very dilute solutions by the means of numerical simulations, and show…
The combination of soft responsive particles, such as microgels, with nanoparticles (NPs) yields highly versatile complexes of great potential for applications, from ad-hoc plasmonic sensors to controlled protocols for loading and release.…
Letting free polymers diffuse from solution into a crosslinked polymer gel is often a crucial processing step in the synthesis of multiphase polymer-based gels, e.g., core-shell microgels. Here we use coarse-grained molecular dynamics…
This study reports the fundamental investigation of a novel composite material consisting of MXene (Ti$_3$C$_2$T$_x$) and a stimulus-responsive hydrogel (Poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) - PNIPAAm). In contrast to previously reported integration…
Understanding dynamic and complex interaction of biological membranes with extracellular matrices plays a crucial role in controlling a variety of cell behavior and functions, from cell adhesion and growth to signaling and differentiation.…
We study the self-assembly of colloidal microgel particles at a quasi-two-dimensional air-water interface of a drying droplet. Using bright-field microscopy, we demonstrate that increasing particle elasticity drives interfacial organization…
Poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM) is a temperature-responsive polymer that undergoes large volumetric deformations through a transition from a swollen to a collapsed state at the volume phase transition temperature (VPTT). Locally, these…
Fundamental understanding of macroscopic properties of polymer nanocomposites (PNCs) remains difficult due to the complex interplay of microscopic dynamics and structure, namely interfacial layer relaxations and three-dimensional…