Titel
Elasticity of polymeric nanocolloidal particles
Autor*in
Labrini Athanasopoulou
Jožef Stefan Institute
Autor*in
Sergei A. Egorov
Department of Chemistry, University of Virginia
... show all
Abstract
Softness is an essential mechanical feature of macromolecular particles such as polymer-grafted nanocolloids, polyelectrolyte networks, cross-linked microgels as well as block copolymer and dendrimer micelles. Elasticity of individual particles directly controls their swelling, wetting, and adsorption behaviour, their aggregation and self-assembly as well as structural and rheological properties of suspensions. Here we use numerical simulations and self-consistent field theory to study the deformation behaviour of a single spherical polymer brush upon diametral compression. We observe a universal response, which is rationalised using scaling arguments and interpreted in terms of two coarse-grained models. At small and intermediate compressions the deformation can be accurately reproduced by modelling the brush as a liquid drop, whereas at large compressions the brush behaves as a soft ball. Applicable far beyond the pairwise-additive small-strain regime, the models may be used to describe microelasticity of nanocolloids in severe confinement including dense disordered and crystalline phases.
Stichwort
PolymersStatistical physics, thermodynamics and nonlinear dynamics
Objekt-Typ
Sprache
Englisch [eng]
Persistent identifier
https://phaidra.univie.ac.at/o:454085
Erschienen in
Titel
Scientific Reports
Band
5
Seitenanfang
15854
Verlag
Nature Publishing Group
Erscheinungsdatum
2015
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