In-situ growth and characterization of metal oxide nanoparticles within block-copolymer polyelectrolyte membranes

Colón-Ortiz, Jonathan; Patel, Sagar Y.; Berninzon, Anthony; Gabounia, George; Landers, John; Neimark, Alexander V.

doi:10.1016/j.colsurfa.2020.125028

Cited by 1 publication

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“…It is distinguished in its nanostructured interface that differs from that formed by lower dimension copolymers. The intriguing structure and potential technological uses of this copolymer have driven numerous studies of solutions − and membranes, − with immense efforts to correlate macroscopic transport and structure. , These studies, however, have provided macroscopic correlations where direct molecular insight into the factors that govern transport remains a missing link. Of particular significance is the interfacial dynamics that facilitate transport in these highly structured ionizable copolymers, including those that occur at the membrane’s interfaces and within internal boundaries.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Interfacial Response and Structural Adaptation of Structured Polyelectrolyte Thin Films

et al. 2021

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Ionizable block copolymers with distinctive block characteristics display the diversity crucial for the design of macromolecules for targeted applications. In contrast to van der Waals copolymers, their interfaces, which are critical to their function, consist of nanodomains, each of a different nature and thus unique interfacial behavior. Here, the interfacial response of a symmetric block copolymer with a sulfonated polystyrene polyelectrolyte center, tethered to polyethylene-r-propylene and terminated by poly(t-butyl styrene) is probed as polymer films are exposed to three polar solvents, water, propanol, and tetrahydrofuran (THF), using molecular dynamics simulations. Each of the solvents captures a distinctive interaction with the individual blocks. We find that at the film boundary, the interfacial response is initially dominated by that of the hydrophobic blocks to all solvents. At later times, the solvent distribution among the blocks, where water molecules associate predominantly with the sulfonated groups and propanol and THF reside at multiple different sites, determines the chemical composition and the polymer conformation at the interface. Overall, these simulations provide the first direct molecular insight into the interfacial response of ionizable copolymers.

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