Related papers: Contraction response of a polyelectrolyte hydrogel…
In electrochemical systems, the structure of electrical double layers (EDLs) near electrode surfaces is crucial for energy conversion and storage functions. While the electrodes in real-world systems are usually heterogeneous, to date the…
Mean-field theory is used to model polyelectrolyte adsorption and the possibility of overcompensation of charged surfaces. For charged surfaces that are also chemically attractive, the overcharging is large in high salt conditions,…
We consider the complexation of highly charged semiflexible polyelectrolytes with oppositely charged macroions. On the basis of scaling arguments we discuss how the resulting complexes depend on the persistence length of the…
In this work, we use a combination of a phenomenological effective cosolute-hydrogel interaction potential and Dynamic Density Functional Theory to investigate the full non-equilibrium encapsulation kinetics of charged and dipolar cosolutes…
We use dedicated microfluidic devices to expose soft hydrogel particles to a rapid change in the externally applied osmotic pressure and observe a non-monotonic response: After an initial rapid compression the particle slowly reswells to…
Well-established textbook arguments suggest that static electric susceptibility must be positive in "all bodies" [1]. However, it has been pointed out that media that are not in thermodynamic equilibrium are not necessarily subject to this…
In the last decade, there has been a surge of experiments showing that certain chemical reactions undergo an enormous boost when taken from bulk aqueous conditions to microdroplet environments. The microscopic basis of this phenomenon…
Experimental results from mechanical viscoelastic as well as dielectric relaxation times were compared to theoretical expectations utilizing polymer scaling theory. Viscoelastic relaxation of a hydrogel at 33% relative humidity fabricated…
We examine theoretically a new idea for spatial and temporal control of chemical reactions. When chemical reactions take place in a mixture of solvents, an external electric field can alter the local mixture composition thereby accelerating…
Self-assembled fibrillar network (SAFIN) hydrogels and organogels are commonly obtained by a crystallization process into fibers induced by external stimuli like temperature or pH. The gel-to-sol-to-gel transition is generally readily…
A systematic study of nonlocal and size effects on the energy transfer of a dipole (e.g. a molecule or a quantum dot) induced by the proximity of a metal slab is presented. Nonlocal effects are accounted for using the hydrodynamic model…
The behavior of a non-conductive quasi-planar lipid membrane in an electrolyte and in a static (DC) electric field is investigated theoretically in the nonlinear (Poisson-Boltzmann) regime. Electrostatic effects due to charges in the…
Micro-organisms propel themselves in viscous environments by the periodic, nonreciprocal beating of slender appendages known as flagella. Active materials have been widely exploited to mimic this form of locomotion. However, the realization…
We study conformational and electrophoretic properties of polyelectrolytes (PEs) in tetravalent salt solutions under the action of electric fields by means of molecular dynamics simulations. Chain conformations are found to have a sensitive…
Thermo-responsive hydrogels are a promising material for creating controllable actuators for use in micro-scale devices, since they expand and contract significantly (absorbing or expelling fluid) in response to relatively small temperature…
Crystal plasticity theory is often employed to predict the mesoscopic states of polycrystalline metals, and is well-known to be costly to simulate. Using a neural network with convolutional layers encoding correlations in time and space, we…
When a strong electric field is applied to a colloidal suspension, it may cause an aggregation of the suspended particles in response to the field. In the case of a rotating field, the electrorotation (ER) spectrum can be modified further…
A lattice of elastic rods organized in a parallelepiped geometry can be axially loaded up to an arbitrary amount without distortion and then be subject to incremental displacements. Using quasi-static homogenization theory, this lattice can…
Fully kinetic simulations are applied to the study of 2D anti-parallel reconnection, elucidating the dynamics by which the electron fluid maintains force balance within both the electron diffusion region (EDR) and the ion diffusion region…
Aqueous colloidal Laponite clay suspensions transform spontaneously to a soft solid-like arrested state as its aging or waiting time increases. This article reports the rapid transformation of aqueous Laponite suspensions into soft solids…