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The evolution of the polymer structure during nanocomposite formation and annealing of silica-latex nanocomposites is studied using contrast-variation small angle neutron scattering. The experimental system is made of silica nanoparticles…
The complexation of micelles or charged nanoparticles with neutral-charged block copolymers in aqueous solutions leads to the formation of colloidal superstructures also termed 'colloidal complexes'. Their primary interest relies in their…
Polyelectrolyte complexation plays an important role in materials science and biology. The internal structure of the resultant polyelectrolyte complex (PEC) phase dictates properties such as physical state, response to external stimuli, and…
The capability to synthesize a broad spectrum of metal clusters (MCs) with their size controllable in a subnanometer scale presents an enticing prospect for exploring nanosize-dependent properties. Here we report an innovative design of a…
Reinforcement of elastomers by colloidal nanoparticles is an important application where microstructure needs to be understood - and if possible controlled - if one wishes to tune macroscopic mechanical properties. Here the…
Large-scale molecular dynamics simulations are used to simulate a layer of nanoparticles diffusing on the surface of a liquid. Both a low viscosity liquid, represented by Lennard-Jones monomers, and a high viscosity liquid, represented by…
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 present a theoretical study of the influence of the molecular geometry of the cation on the response of ionic liquid (IL) to confinement and mechanical strain. The so-called {\it tailed} model includes a large spherical anion and…
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…
Water-soluble clusters made from 7 nm inorganic nanoparticles have been investigated by small-angle neutron scattering. The internal structure factor of the clusters was derived and exhibited a universal behavior as evidenced by a…
The mechanical, optical, and chemical properties of a wide variety of soft materials are enabled and constrained by their bulk structure. How this structure emerges at small system sizes during self-assembly has been the subject of decades…
We investigate by scattering techniques the structure of water-based soft composite materials comprising a crystal made of Pluronic block-copolymer micelles arranged in a face-centered cubic lattice and a small amount (at most 2% by volume)…
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…
A large body of experimental work on the microstructure and dynamics of simplifiedindustrial nanocomposites made of disordered silica filler in a styrene-butadiene matrixby solid-phase mixing is regrouped and critically discussed in this…
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…
We use molecular dynamics simulations to study a semidilute, unentangled polymer solution containing well dispersed, weakly attractive nanoparticles (NP) of size ($\sigma_N$) smaller than the polymer radius of gyration $R_g$. We find that…
Ionic liquids constrained at interfaces or restricted in subnanometric pores are increasingly employed in modern technologies, including energy applications. Understanding the details of their behavior in these conditions is therefore…
Coherent grazing-incidence small-angle X-ray scattering is used to investigate the average kinetics and the fluctuation dynamics during self-organized nanopatterning of silicon by Ar$^+$ bombardment at 65$^{\circ}$ polar angle. At early…
Surface active ionic liquids (SAILs) combine useful characteristics of both ionic liquids (ILs) and surfactants, hence are promising candidates for a wide range of applications. However, the effect of SAIL ionic structures on their…