Glassy worm-like micelles in solvent and shear mediated shape transitions.
File(s)
Accepted version
Author(s)
Chakraborty, Kaushik
Vijayan, Kandaswamy
Brown, Andre EX
Discher, Dennis E
Loverde, Sharon M
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
The glassiness of polymer melts is generally considered to be suppressed by small dimensions, added solvent, and heat. Here, we suggest that glassiness persists at the nanoscale in worm-like micelles composed of amphiphilic diblock copolymers of poly(ethylene oxide)-polystyrene (PS). The glassiness of these worms is indicated by a lack of fluorescence recovery after photobleaching as well as micron-length rigid segments separated by hinges. The coarse-grained molecular dynamics studies probe the dynamics of the PS in these glassy worms. Addition of an organic solvent promotes a transition from hinged to fully flexible worms and to spheres or vesicles. Simulation demonstrates two populations of organic solvent in the core of the micelle-a solvent 'pool' in the micelle core and a second population that accumulates at the interface between the core and the corona. The stable heterogeneity of the residual solvent could explain the unusual hinged rigidity, but solvent removal during shear-extension could be more effective and yield - as observed - nearly straight worms without hinges.
Date Issued
2018-04-30
Date Acceptance
2018-04-26
Citation
Soft Matter, 2018, 2018 (20)
ISSN
1744-683X
Publisher
Royal Society of Chemistry
Journal / Book Title
Soft Matter
Volume
2018
Issue
20
Copyright Statement
© 2018 The Royal Society of Chemistry 2018
Identifier
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29744515
Subjects
Science & Technology
Physical Sciences
Technology
Chemistry, Physical
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Physics, Multidisciplinary
Polymer Science
Chemistry
Materials Science
Physics
BLOCK-COPOLYMER MICELLES
MOLECULAR-DYNAMICS
MULTIPLE MORPHOLOGIES
POLYMER
POLYSTYRENE
TEMPERATURE
CONFINEMENT
RELAXATION
VESICLES
BEHAVIOR
03 Chemical Sciences
09 Engineering
02 Physical Sciences
Chemical Physics
Publication Status
Published online
Coverage Spatial
England