Related papers: Isostructural Softening of Vulcanized Nanocomposit…
Particle surface chemistry and internal softness are two fundamental parameters in governing the mechanical properties of dense colloidal suspensions, dictating structure and flow, therefore of interest from materials fabrication to…
We combine small angle scattering experiments and simulations to investigate the internal structure and interactions of composite Poly(N-isopropylacrylamide)-Poly(ethylene glycol) (PNIPAM-PEG) microgels. At low temperatures the…
We present a new material which displays anisotropic and mechanical properties tuneable during synthesis under magnetic field. It is formulated by mixing aqueous suspensions of polymer nanolatex and magnetic nanoparticles, coated by a thin…
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…
For nearly a century, introduction of nanoparticles to elastomers has yielded extraordinarily tough nanocomposites that are critical to technologies from actuators to tires. The mechanisms by which this reinforcement occurs have…
Readily synthesizable nano-graphene and poly ethylene glycol based stable gels have been synthesized employing an easy refluxing method and exhaustive rheological and viscoelastic characterizations have been performed to understand the…
We examine the dynamics of silica particles grafted with high molecular weight polystyrene suspended in semidilute solutions of chemically similar linear polymer using x-ray photon correlation spectroscopy. The particle dynamics decouple…
Nanoparticles can influence the properties of polymer materials by a variety of mechanisms. With fullerene, carbon nanotube, and clay or graphene sheet nanocomposites in mind, we investigate how particle shape influences the melt shear…
We investigated the formation of cocontinuous structures in polymer blends. These polymeric bijels (bicontinuous interfacially jammed emulsion gels) were composed of polystyrene oligomer, polybutene and fluorescent hydrophobic silica…
Inhaled nanoparticles (< 100 nm) reaching the deep lung region first interact with the pulmonary surfactant, a thin lipid film lining the alveolar epithelium. To date, most biophysical studies have focused on particle induced modifications…
Precise control over the flow behavior of liquids is a critical problem and is demanding for multifaceted applications. Introducing surface-engineered nanoparticles into the liquid can tune the flow behavior. However, the extent of…
Microgels are soft colloids that, in virtue of their polymeric nature, can react to external stimuli such as temperature or pH by changing their size. The resulting swelling/deswelling transition can be exploited in fundamental research as…
We perform a systematic application of the hybrid particle-field molecular dynamics technique [Milano et al, J. Chem. Phys. 2009, 130, 214106] to study interfacial properties and potential of mean force (PMF) for separating nanoparticles…
Concentrated fabric conditioners are water-based formulations containing 10 wt. % of cationic surfactants that are deposited on textile fibers during the rinse cycle in a washing machine to make them smoother and softer to touch. In topical…
Polymer composites were manufactured using biocarbon particles as a reinforcing filler to improve the mechanical and thermal properties. However, a detailed examination of dispersion and agglomeration of filler is essential to correlate the…
Our understanding of the structural features of foams and emulsions has advanced significantly over the last 20 years. However, with a search for "super-stable" liquid dispersions, foam and emulsion science employs increasingly complex…
Carbon-elastomer composites exhibit complex piezoresistive behaviour that cannot be fully explained by existing macroscopic or microstructural models. In this work, we introduce a network-based modelling methodology to explore the…
Youngs modulus of soft solids composed of crosslinked synthetic polypeptides has been determined under different conditions. Co-poly-(L-glutamic acid$_4$, L-tyrosine$_1$) [PLEY (4:1)] was crosslinked with poly-L-lysine (PLK) and…
Thin membranes exhibit complex responses to external forces or geometrical constraints. A familiar example is the wrinkling, exhibited by human skin, plant leaves, and fabrics, resulting from the relative ease of bending versus stretching.…
Differential shrinkage in particulate quasi-brittle materials causes microcracking which reduces durability in these materials by increasing their mass transport properties. A hydro-mechanical three-dimensional periodic network approach was…