Related papers: Chain trajectories, domain shapes and terminal bou…
Block copolymer (BCP) melt assembly has been the subject of decades of study, with focus largely on self-organized spatial patterns of periodically-ordered segment density. In this study, we demonstrate that underlying these otherwise…
Triply-periodic networks are among the most complex and functionally valuable self-assembled morphologies, yet they form in nearly every class of biological and synthetic soft matter building blocks. In contrast to simpler assembly motifs…
We study a model of flexible block copolymers (BCPs) in which there is an enlthalpic preference for local alignment, among like-block segments. We describe a generalization of the self-consistent field theory (SCFT) of flexible BCPs to…
The morphology of block copolymers (BCPs) critically influences material properties and applications. This work introduces a machine learning (ML)-enabled, high-throughput framework for analyzing grazing incidence small-angle X-ray…
We systematically explore the self-assembly of semi-flexible polymers in deformable spherical confinement across a wide regime of chain stiffness, contour lengths and packing fractions by means of coarse-grained molecular dynamics…
Block copolymer (BCP) melts play a critical role in the design of thermoplastics, owing in large part to the creation of alternating nano-scale domains of soft and stiff components. Considerable attention has been given to the…
We investigate the effects of chain flexibility on the self-assembly behavior of symmetric diblock copolymers (BCPs) when they are confined as a thin film between two surfaces. Employing worm-like chain (WLC) self-consistent field theory,…
Spontaneous self-assembly in molecular systems is a fundamental route to both biological and engineered soft matter. Simple micellisation, emulsion formation, and polymer mixing principles are well understood. However, the principles behind…
The dissipative particle dynamics (DPD) simulation method has been shown to be a promising tool to study self-assembly of soft matter systems. In particular, it has been used to study block copolymer (BCP) self-assembly. However, previous…
The kinetic paths of structural evolution and formation of block copolymer (BCP) particles are explored using dynamic self-consistent field theory (DSCFT). It is shown that the process-directed self-assembly of BCP immersed in a poor…
Co-assembly of inorganic nanoparticles (NPs) and nanostructured polymer matrix represents an intricate interplay of enthalpic or entropic forces. Particle size largely affects the phase behavior of the nanocomposite. Theoretical studies…
The phase behaviour of binary blends composed of A$_1$B$_1$ and A$_2$B$_2$ diblock copolymers is systematically studied using the polymeric self-consistent field theory, focusing on the formation and relative stability of various spherical…
We compare two theoretical approaches to dielectric diblock copolymer melts in an external electric field. The first is a relatively simple analytic expansion in the relative copolymer concentration, and includes the full electrostatic…
We use dissipative particle dynamics (DPD) simulations to study the effect of shear on domain morphology and kinetics of microphase separating critical diblock copolymer (BCP) bulk melts. The melt is confined within two parallel solid walls…
Functional nanoparticles (NPs) have gained significant attention as a promising application in various fields, including sensor, smart coating, drug delivery, and more. Here, we propose a novel mechanism assisted by machine-learning…
Conformation-dependent design of polymer sequences can be considered as a tool to control macromolecular self-assembly. We consider the monomer unit sequences created via the modification of polymers in a homogeneous melt in accordance with…
A machine learning approach is presented to accelerate the computation of block polymer morphology evolution for large domains over long timescales. The strategy exploits the separation of characteristic times between coarse-grained…
Isoporous membranes made from diblock copolymers have numerous applications, including water treatment and protein separation, and are successfully produced at a laboratory scale under controlled conditions. However, achieving optimal…
Star block copolymers (s-BCPs) have potential applications as novel surfactants or amphiphiles for emulsification, compatbilization, chemical transformations and separations. s-BCPs are star-shaped macromolecules comprised of linear chains…
We examine the phase transition of polymer adsorption as well as the underlying kinetics of polymer binding from dilute solutions on a structureless solid surface. The emphasis is put on the properties of regular multiblock copolymers,…