Related papers: On the crystallization Kinetics in Natural Rubber
A propagating "beam" triggering a local phase transition in a nematic elastomer sets it into a crawling motion, which may morph due to buckling. We consider the motion of the various configurations of slender rods and thin stripes with both…
The thermodynamics and kinetics of crystallization of nanoparticles, as opposed to bulk phases, may be influenced by surface and size effects. We investigate the importance of such factors in the crystallization process of gold, silver, and…
We present a fluid-mechanical model of the coalescence of a number of elastic objects due to surface tension. We consider an array of spring-block elements separated by thin liquid films, whose dynamics are modelled using lubrication…
Nanorods grow in two modes through physical vapor deposition (PVD). In mode I, monolayer surface steps dictate the diameter of nanorods. In mode II, multiple-layer surface steps dictate the diameter, which is the smallest possible under…
The effects of elasticity on filament thinning and breakup are investigated in microchannel cross flow. When a viscous solution is stretched by an external immiscible fluid, a low 100 ppm polymer concentration strongly affects the breakup…
We model within the framework of finite elasticity two inherent instabilities observed in liquid crystal elastomers under uniaxial tension. First is necking which occurs when a material sample suddenly elongates more in a small region where…
The free energy cost of confining a star polymer where $f$ flexible polymer chains containing $N$ monomeric units are tethered to a central unit in a slit with two parallel repulsive walls a distance $D$ apart is considered, for good…
According to classical nucleation theory, a crystal grows from a small nucleus that already bears the symmetry of its end phase - but experiments with colloids now reveal that, from an amorphous precursor, crystallites with different…
In this work we study the dynamical buckling process of a thin filament immersed in a high viscous medium. We perform an experimental study to track the shape evolution of the filament during a constant velocity compression. Numerical…
Active nematics are microscopically driven liquid crystals that exhibit dynamical steady states characterized by the creation and annihilation of topological defects. Motivated by experimental realizations of such systems made of biopolymer…
Dendrites are one of the most widely observed patterns in nature and occur across a wide spectrum of physical phenomena. In solidification and growth patterns in metals and crystals, the multi-level branching structures of dendrites pose a…
The crystal size distribution in polynuclear growth is numerically studied using a coupled map lattice model. The width of the size distribution depends on c/D, where c is the growth rate at interface sites and $D$ is the diffusion…
We present a novel mechanism for resolving the mechanical rigidity of nanoscopic circular polymers that flow in a complex environment. The emergence of a regime of negative differential mobility induced by topological interactions between…
An overview of computer simulations of tribology is presented. The chapter begins with a brief overview of simulation techniques and the special requirements for simulations of tribological processes. Then simple one-dimensional models of…
Using linearized elasticity as a convenient mechanical framework, we show that volumetric growth can be formulated as an optimization-driven process in which the growth tensor is determined implicitly by constrained optimization rather than…
In this paper I describe the computer simulations that I have performed to critically examine the Lauritzen-Hoffman and the Sadler-Gilmer theories of polymer crystallization. In particular, I have computed the free energy profile for…
A novel mechanism for the production of a cosmic network of fundamental superstrings based on a time-varying string tension has been recently proposed in the context of a kinating background driven by the volume modulus of string…
The modeling of the elastic properties of granular or nanoscale systems requires the foundations of the theory of elasticity to be revisited, as one explores scales at which this theory may no longer hold. The only cases for which a…
Growth of hard--rod monolayers via deposition is studied in a lattice model using rods with discrete orientations and in a continuum model with hard spherocylinders. The lattice model is treated with kinetic Monte Carlo simulations and…
Heteropolymers are ubiquitous in both synthetic systems, such as block copolymers, and biological macromolecules, including proteins and nucleic acids. Beyond their chemical composition, these polymers often exhibit spatial variations in…