Issue 104, 2016

Concentration-induced structural transition of block polymer self-assemblies on a nanoparticle surface: computer simulation

Abstract

Coarse-grained molecular dynamic simulation (CGMD) techniques are used to study the self-assembly behavior of Pluronic triblock copolymers on different hydrophobicity nanoparticle (NP) surfaces. The structural changeover as a function of concentration of Pluronic triblock copolymers is investigated. At lower concentration (e.g. 5%), a shell-layered film structure self-assembled on NP surfaces is observed. Above 5%, the stretching growth of polymer chains takes place during the adsorption process and the star-shaped film on NP surfaces is formed. As the simulation results show, the radius of gyration of F127 assembled on the NPs would increase with increase of polymer concentration. A transition from incomplete to complete stretching polymer chain structure growth in solvent is encountered with increasing concentrations, which appears as a high phase separation film in terms of order parameter. These changes of the self-assembled films are not majorly initiated by the hydrophobic degrees of NP surfaces, but originate from the domination of polymer concentration.

Graphical abstract: Concentration-induced structural transition of block polymer self-assemblies on a nanoparticle surface: computer simulation

Associated articles

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
23 Jul 2016
Accepted
14 Oct 2016
First published
19 Oct 2016

RSC Adv., 2016,6, 102057-102067

Concentration-induced structural transition of block polymer self-assemblies on a nanoparticle surface: computer simulation

W. Xiang, Z. Zhu, X. Song, C. Zhong, C. Wang and Y. Ma, RSC Adv., 2016, 6, 102057 DOI: 10.1039/C6RA18739K

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