Group contribution coarse-grained molecular simulations of polystyrene melts and polystyrene solutions in alkanes using the SAFT-γ force field
File(s)acs.macromol.6b02072.pdf (5.91 MB)
Published version
Author(s)
Jimenez-serratos, M
Herdes, C
Haslam, A
Jackson, G
Muller, EA
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
A coarse-grained (CG) model for atactic polystyrene is presented and studied with classical molecular-dynamics simulations. The interactions between the CG segments are described by Mie potentials, with parameters obtained from a top-down approach using the SAFT-γ methodology. The model is developed by taking a CG model for linear-chain-like backbones with parameters corresponding to those of an alkane and decorating it with side branches with parameters from a force field of toluene, which incorporate an “aromatic-like” nature. The model is validated by comparison with the properties of monodisperse melts, including the effect of temperature and pressure on density, as well as structural properties (the radius of gyration and end-to-end distance as functions of chain length). The model is employed within large-scale simulations that describe the temperature–composition fluid-phase behavior of binary mixtures of polystyrene in n-hexane and n-heptane. A single temperature-independent unlike interaction energy parameter is employed for each solvent to reproduce experimental solubility behavior; this is sufficient for the quantitative prediction of both upper and lower critical solution points and the transition to the characteristic “hourglass” phase behavior for these systems.
Date Issued
2017-06-27
Date Acceptance
2017-05-17
Citation
Macromolecules, 2017, 50 (12), pp.4840-4853
ISSN
0024-9297
Publisher
American Chemical Society
Start Page
4840
End Page
4853
Journal / Book Title
Macromolecules
Volume
50
Issue
12
Copyright Statement
© 2017 American Chemical Society. This is an open access article published under a Creative Commons Attribution (CC-BY)
License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium,
provided the author and source are cited.
License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium,
provided the author and source are cited.
Sponsor
Engineering & Physical Science Research Council (EPSRC)
Engineering & Physical Science Research Council (EPSRC)
UNICAT Ltd
Identifier
https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.macromol.6b02072
Grant Number
EP/J014958/1
EP/E016340/1
N/A
Subjects
Science & Technology
Physical Sciences
Polymer Science
EQUATION-OF-STATE
DYNAMICS SIMULATIONS
ATACTIC POLYSTYRENE
PHASE-EQUILIBRIA
CHAIN LENGTHS
N-ALKANES
X-RAY
FLUIDS
MODELS
PARAMETERS
03 Chemical Sciences
09 Engineering
Polymers
Publication Status
Published
Date Publish Online
2017-06-05