Tribological and Rheological Study of Thixotropic Gels of 2D Nanoparticles.

A thixotropic colloidal gel constituting an aqueous dispersion of synthetic clay Laponite with varying concentrations of salt has been studied for its rheological and tribological performance as a lubricant. We observed that the incorporation of NaCl induces notable enhancements in the colloidal gel's relaxation time, elastic modulus, and yield stress. Although an increase in NaCl concentration decreases the material's relaxation time dependence on waiting time (tw), overall, the strength of its thixotropic character has been observed to increase with an increase in salt concentration. The analysis of friction and wear indicated that the utilization of a thixotropic colloidal gel of Laponite with a higher concentration of NaCl resulted in progressively greater reductions in both the coefficient of friction and specific wear rates under various load-speed conditions. Severe abrasive wear on disc surface under dry test, gradually mitigated upon the introduction of these lubricants. Two simultaneous lubricating mechanisms, first, the smooth sliding of the friction pair, facilitated by the alignment of Laponite particles in the direction of shear forces, and second, the stable structure of Laponite, coupled with the addition of NaCl, enabling continuous replenishment of the wear track with lubricant, are attributed to lubrication effectiveness.

Thermal Conductivity of Bottle-Brush Polymers.

Using molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of a generic model, we investigated heat propagation in bottle-brush polymers (BBP). An architecture is referred to as a BBP when a linear (backbone) polymer is grafted with the side chains of different length Ns and grafting density ρg, which control the bending stiffness of a backbone. Investigating κ-behavior in BBP is of particular interest due to two competing mechanics: increased backbone stiffness, via Ns and ρg, increases the thermal transport coefficient κ, while the presence of side chains provides additional pathways for heat leakage. We show how a delicate competition between these two effects controls κ. These results reveal that going from a weakly grafting (ρg < 1) to a highly grafting (ρg ≥ 1) regime, κ changes non-monotonically that is independent of Ns. The effect of side chain mass on κ and heat flow in the BBP melts is also discussed.

Computational indentation in highly cross-linked polymer networks.

Indentation is a common experimental technique to study the mechanics of polymeric materials. The main advantage of using indentation is this provides a direct correlation between the microstructure and the small-scale mechanical response, which is otherwise difficult within the standard tensile testing. The majority of studies have investigated hydrogels, microgels, elastomers, and even soft biomaterials. However, a less investigated system is the indentation in highly cross-linked polymer (HCP) networks, where the complex network structure plays a key role in dictating their physical properties. In this work, we investigate the structure-property relationship in HCP networks using the computational indentation of a generic model. We establish a correlation between the local bond breaking, network rearrangement, and small-scale mechanics. The results are compared with the elastic-plastic deformation model. HCPs harden upon indentation.

Thermal Conductivity of Semicrystalline Polymer Networks: Crystallinity or Cross-Linking?

Understanding the heat flow in polymers is at the onset of many developments in designing advanced functional materials. Here, however, amorphous linear polymers usually exhibit a very low thermal conductivity κ, often hindering their broad applications. In this context, two common routes to increase κ are via semicrystallinity and cross-linking. It can therefore be inferred that the combination of these two effects may result in a further increase of κ with respect to the systems where only one of these two effects is important. Using molecular dynamics simulations, we investigate κ in semicrystalline polymer networks. Contrary to a priori understanding, we show that a combination of cross-linking and crystallinity does not always increase κ. Instead, a delicate competition between the lattice periodicity, the cross-linker types, and the bond density dictates the tunability of κ in these complex macromolecular systems. These results are also compared with the existing experiments.

Polymer cyclization for the emergence of hierarchical nanostructures.

The creation of synthetic polymer nanoobjects with well-defined hierarchical structures is important for a wide range of applications such as nanomaterial synthesis, catalysis, and therapeutics. Inspired by the programmability and precise three-dimensional architectures of biomolecules, here we demonstrate the strategy of fabricating controlled hierarchical structures through self-assembly of folded synthetic polymers. Linear poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) of different lengths are folded into cyclic polymers and their self-assembly into hierarchical structures is elucidated by various experimental techniques and molecular dynamics simulations. Based on their structural similarity, macrocyclic brush polymers with amphiphilic block side chains are synthesized, which can self-assemble into wormlike and higher-ordered structures. Our work points out the vital role of polymer folding in macromolecular self-assembly and establishes a versatile approach for constructing biomimetic hierarchical assemblies.