Related papers: Controlling microgel morphology and swelling behav…
We study statistical copolymerization effects on the upper critical solution temperature (CST) of generic homopolymers by means of coarse-grained Langevin dynamics computer simulations and mean-field theory. Our systematic investigation…
The encapsulation of fragile biomacromolecules is crucial for many biotechnological applications but remains challenging. Interfacial complexation (IC) in water-in-oil emulsions turned out to be an efficient process for the formation of…
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…
Thermosensitive microgels are widely studied hybrid systems combining properties of polymers and colloidal particles in a unique way. Due to their complex morphology their interactions and packing, and consequentially the viscoelastcity of…
Thermo-mechanical properties of polymer networks depend on functionality of the monomer precursors -- an association that is frequently exploited in materials science. We use molecular simulations to generate spatial networks from…
We probe, using the Surface Forces Apparatus, the thermal response of poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM) brushes of various grafting densities, grown from plasma-activated mica by means of surface-initiated polymerization. We thus show…
Freezing of complex fluids is central to a wide range of natural and technological processes, where the interplay between heat transport, solute redistribution, and interfacial deformation gives rise to complex morphologies. Unlike simple…
Interpenetrated polymer network microgels, composed of crosslinked networks of poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) and polyacrylic acid (PAAc), have been investigated through rheological measurements at four different amounts of polyacrylic acid.…
We study the swelling and shrinking behavior of core-shell microgels adsorbed on silicon wafers. In these systems, the core is made of cross-linked poly(N isopropylmethacrylamide) and the shell consists of cross linked poly(N-n…
We study pressurised self-avoiding ring polymers in two dimensions using Monte Carlo simulations, scaling arguments and Flory-type theories, through models which generalise the model of Leibler, Singh and Fisher [Phys. Rev. Lett. Vol. 59,…
Microcapsules allow for the controlled containment, transport, and release of cargoes ranging from pharmaceuticals to fragrances. Given the interest from a variety of industries in microcapsules and other core-shell structures, a multitude…
Depending on the volume fraction and interparticle interactions, colloidal suspensions can form different phases, ranging from fluids, crystals, and glasses to gels. For soft microgels that are made from thermoresponsive polymers, the…
We present computer simulations of a simple bead-spring model for polymer melts with intramolecular barriers. By systematically tuning the strength of the barriers, we investigate their role on the glass transition. Dynamic observables are…
Using molecular dynamics simulations we study the dynamics of a water-like TIP5P model of water in hydrophilic and hydrophobic confinement. We find that in case of extreme nanocofinement such that there is only one molecular layer of water…
Polymer blends offer an exciting material for various potential applications due to their tunable properties by varying constituting components and their relative composition. Our simulation results unravel an intrinsic relationship between…
The thermal properties of coarse grained knotted polymers containing two kinds of monomers $A$ and $B$ fluctuating in a solution are investigated on a simple cubic lattice using the Wang-Landau MC algorithm. These knots have a more complex…
This study reports the fundamental investigation of a novel composite material consisting of MXene (Ti$_3$C$_2$T$_x$) and a stimulus-responsive hydrogel (Poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) - PNIPAAm). In contrast to previously reported integration…
An extensive study of single block copolymer knots containing two kinds of monomers $A$ and $B$ is presented. The knots are in a solution and their monomers are subjected to short range interactions that can be attractive or repulsive. In…
The structural characterization of microgels at interfaces is fundamental to understand both their 2D phase behavior and their role as stabilizers that enable emulsions to be broken on demand. However, this characterization is usually…
As the interface between human and machine becomes blurred, hydrogel incorporated electronics and devices have emerged to be a new class of flexible/stretchable electronic and ionic devices due to their extraordinary properties, such as…