Disk-like bicelles in block copolymer/homopolymer blends
| Autor: | M. J. Greenall |
|---|---|
| Jazyk: | angličtina |
| Rok vydání: | 2016 |
| Předmět: |
Materials science
Polymers and Plastics Organic Chemistry FOS: Physical sciences 02 engineering and technology Radius Model lipid bilayer Condensed Matter - Soft Condensed Matter 010402 general chemistry 021001 nanoscience & nanotechnology 01 natural sciences Micelle 0104 chemical sciences Inorganic Chemistry Crystallography Lamella (surface anatomy) Chemical physics Amphiphile Materials Chemistry Energy density Copolymer Soft Condensed Matter (cond-mat.soft) F320 Chemical Physics G150 Mathematical Modelling 0210 nano-technology |
| Popis: | Mixtures of micelle-forming and lamella-forming amphiphiles in solution can form disk-shaped bilayers, sometimes referred to as bicelles. Using self-consistent field theory (SCFT), we investigate the structure and stability of these aggregates in a blend of two species of PS-PDMS diblock with PDMS homopolymer at 225C. We find that the center of each disk is mainly composed of lamella-forming diblocks, while its thicker rim is mostly formed of micelle-forming diblocks. However, this segregation is not perfect, and the concentration of micelle formers is of the order of 10% on the flat central surface of the bicelle. We also find that the addition of micelle former to the mixture of lamella former and homopolymer is necessary for disk-like bicelles to be stable. Specifically, the free energy density of the disk has a minimum as a function of the disk radius when both micelle- and lamella-forming diblocks are present, indicating that the bicelles have a preferred, finite radius. However, it decays monotonically when only lamella former is present, indicating that the bicelle structure is always unstable with respect to further aggregation in these systems. Finally, we identify a concentration range where the bicelle is predicted to have a lower free energy density than the simple cylindrical and lamellar aggregates, and so might be thermodynamically stable. Comment: 22 pages including 5 figures, preprint format. Unedited author's version of a submitted work that was subsequently accepted for publication in Macromolecules |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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