Related papers: Evanescent Gels: Competition Between Sticker Dynam…
In this thesis the formation and properties of a polymer gel on and at a surface are investigated. The gel under investigation is defined as a three-dimensional network of "phantom" macromolecules that form permanent links with one another…
We show using Brownian dynamics simulations and theory how the shear relaxation modulus G(t) of dilute solutions of relatively stiff semiflexible polymers differs qualitatively from that of rigid rods. For chains shorter than their…
We consider a simple model for steady-state luminescence of single polymer chains in a dilute solution in the case when excitation quenching is due to energy transfer between a donor and an acceptor attached to the ends of the chain. We…
Using molecular dynamics simulations, we determine the linear and nonlinear viscoelastic properties of a model polymer melt in the unentangled regime. Several approaches are compared for the computation of linear moduli, including…
This work investigates the effects of tangent polar activity on the conformational and dynamic properties of entangled polymer melts through Langevin molecular dynamics simulations. We examine systems composed of all self-propelled,…
Molecular dynamics simulation of a generic polymer model is applied to study melts of polymers with different types of intrinsic stiffness. Important static observables of the single chain such as gyration radius or persistence length are…
The connection between domain relaxations at individual scales and the collective heterogeneous response in non-equilibrium systems is a topic of profound interest in recent times. In a model sys- tem of constantly driven oppositely charged…
Polymer gels with photo-responsive cross-links enable tunable mechanics and surface morphologies, making them promising for adaptive materials. While prior work on coumarin cross-linked gels has focused on photo-mediated events in dilute…
This is an integrated experimental and theoretical study of the dynamics and rheology of self-crosslinked, slightly charged, temperature responsive soft Poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (pNIPAM) microgels over a wide range of concentration and…
Spinodal demixing of systems into two phases having very different viscosities leads to viscoelastic networks, i.e. gels. Here we consider demixing in a colloidal system where one phase is a nematic liquid crystal with a strongly…
We report surface shear rheological measurements on dense insoluble monolayers of micron sized colloidal spheres at the oil/water interface and of the protein $\beta$-lactoglobulin at the air/water surface. As expected, the elastic modulus…
The local segmental and global dynamics of a series of polypropylene glycol / silica nanocomposites were studied using rheometry and mechanical and dielectric spectroscopies. The particles cause substantial changes in the rheology,…
We report results of molecular-dynamics simulations of a model polymer melt consisting of short non-entangled chains in the supercooled state above the critical temperature of mode-coupling theory (MCT). To analyse the dynamics of the…
Step strain experiments and dynamic light scattering measurements are perfomed to characterize the dynamic behavior of an o/w droplet microemulsion into which is incorporated a telechelic polymer. At sufficient droplet and polymer…
Phase separation has recently emerged as an important organizational principle in the dense and heterogeneous environment within living cells. Here, we use a synthetic system to show that compressive stresses in a polymer network suppress…
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 non-Newtonian behaviors of dense suspensions are central to their use in technological and industrial applications and arise from a network of particle-particle contacts that dynamically adapts to imposed shear. Reported herein are…
The slip phenomena in thin polymer films confined by either flat or periodically corrugated surfaces are investigated by molecular dynamics and continuum simulations. For atomically flat surfaces and weak wall-fluid interactions, the shear…
We present an extensive experimental study of mode-I, steady, slow crack dynamics in gelatin gels. Taking advantage of the sensitivity of the elastic stiffness to gel composition and history we confirm and extend the model for fracture of…
We present an extensive experimental study and scaling analysis of friction of gelatin gels on glass. At low driving velocities, sliding occurs via propagation of periodic self-healing slip pulses whose velocity is limited by collective…