Polymers at Interfaces

Fleer G J, Cohen Stuart M A, Seheut]ens J M H M, Cosgrove T and Vineent B 1993 Polymers at Interfaces (London Chapman and Hall)... 

Vrij A 1976 Polymers at interfaces and the interactions in colloidal dispersions Pure Appl. Chem. 48 471-83... 

G. J. Fleer, M. A. Cohen Stuart, J. M. H. Scheutens, T. Cosgrove, B. Vincent. Polymers at Interfaces. London Chapman Hall, 1993. 

K. Binder, A. Milchev, J. Baschnagel. Simulation studies on the dynamics of polymers at interfaces. Annu Rev Mater Sci 25 107-134, 1996. 

This article is not intended to give a comprehensive overview over the entire field, but will concentrate on some recent developments and highlights as perceived by the author. Only most recent references will be given where most of the previous work will be found. There are several books, proceedings and review articles available on earlier work and on specific aspects of polymers at interfaces [1-13]. In particular the area of tethered chains in solution or melt is covered by another article in this book [14]. 

The S parameter is a function of the segment density distribution of the stabilizing chains. The conformation, and hence the segment density distribution function of polymers at interfaces, has been the subject of intensive experimental and theoretical work and is a subject of much debate (1). Since we are only interested in qualitative and not quantitative predictions, we choose the simplest distribution function, namely the constant segment density function, which leads to an S function of the form (11) ... 

Matyjaszewski K, Miller PJ, ShuklaN, Immarapom B, Gelman A, LuokalaBB, Siclovan TM, Kickelbick G, Valiant T, Hoffmann H, Pakula T (1999) Polymers at interfaces using atom transfer radical polymerization in the controlled growth of homopolymers and block copolymers from silicon surfaces in the absence of untethered sacrificial initiator Macromolecules 32 8716-8724... 

John L. Anderson (Co-Chair) is a University Professor of Chemical Engineering and is affihated with the Center for Complex Fluids Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University. He is also the dean of the College of Engineering. He received his B.S. from the University of Delaware and his Ph.D. from the University of Illinois. His research interests are membranes, colloidal science, electrophoresis and other electrokinetic phenomena, polymers at interfaces, and biomedical engineering. He is a former co-chair of the BCST and is a member of the National Academy of Engineering. 

Fleer, G.J., Cohen Stuart, M.A., Scheutjens, J.M.H.M., Cosgrove, T., Vincent, B. (1993). Polymers at Interfaces, London Chapman Hall, chap. 11. 

Fleer GJ, Cohen Stuart MA, Scheutchens JMHM, Cosgrove T, Vincent B (1993) Polymers at Interfaces, Capman Hall, London... 

To establish the molecular thermodynamic model for uniform systems based on concepts from statistical mechanics, an effective method by combining statistical mechanics and molecular simulation has been recommended (Hu and Liu, 2006). Here, the role of molecular simulation is not limited to be a standard to test the reliability of models. More directly, a few simulation results are used to determine the analytical form and the corresponding coefficients of the models. It retains the rigor of statistical mechanics, while mathematical difficulties are avoided by using simulation results. The method is characterized by two steps (1) based on a statistical-mechanical derivation, an analytical expression is obtained first. The expression may contain unknown functions or coefficients because of mathematical difficulty or sometimes because of the introduced simplifications. (2) The form of the unknown functions or unknown coefficients is then determined by simulation results. For the adsorption of polymers at interfaces, simulation was used to test the validity of the weighting function of the WDA in DFT. For the meso-structure of a diblock copolymer melt confined in curved surfaces, we found from MC simulation that some more complex structures exist. From the information provided by simulation, these complex structures were approximated as a combination of simple structures. Then, the Helmholtz energy of these complex structures can be calculated by summing those of the different simple structures. 

Polymers at interfaces are an important part of a large number of polymeric technological applications. The orientation, specific interactions, and higher order structures of amphiphilic molecules at a quasi two- dimensional plane form the basis of a variety of interesting phenomena [3-6], Scheme 3.1 shows a schematic representation of this behavior. 

It is from a colloid point of view that experiments have been performed to understand the behavior of polymers at interfaces [7],... 

Many other applications of polymers involve their use in multiple phases, such as composites, reinforced rubbers and adhesives. Consequently, the interaction of the polymer and the other phase plays an important role in the physical properties of the system. The properties of polymers at interfaces have been reviewed [1,8-11]. A number of techniques have been used to study the structure of polymers at interfaces such as nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). 

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