Research Initiation Award: Theoretical and Experimental Studies of the Surface Segregation of Polymer Chains Due to Specific Energetic Interactions

二元聚合物中一种组分的表面分离 共混 在决定 聚合物- 基体复合材料 在这方面，建议研究 表面 二元共混物的行为，其中一个链的所有链段 与表面相同地相互作用，而末端部分 的 第二种，其具有与第一种相同的重复单元， 第一 链，与表面有能量相互作用， 与中央的珠子不同。 初步分析 关于这个问题的计算表明， 链端和中间珠子之间的能量相互作用 的 表面的第二种物质将决定 将 它遵循一个可以最大化表面 通过以下方式从混合物中分离适当的物质： 控制 末端部分的化学性质，从而允许 设计 具有所需机械性能的聚合物复合材料。 在实验上，这些理论预测将得到验证 通过 一种新技术中子反射率 从理论 观点，分析晶格模型正在开发， 审查 这些情况。

The surface segregation of one species from a binary polymer blend has important consequences in determining the strength of polymer- substrate composites. In this it is proposed to study the surface behavior of a binary blend, in which all segments of one chain interact identically with the surface, while the end moieties of the second species, which has the same repeat units as the first chain, have energetic interactions with the surface that are different from the central beads. Preliminary analytical calculations on this subject suggest that the difference in energetic interactions between chain ends and middle beads of the second species with the surface will dictate which component will partition to it. It follows that one can maximize the surface segregation of an appropriate species from the blend by controlling the chemistry of the end moieties, thus allowing for the design of polymer composite with desired mechanical properties. Experimentally, these theoretical predictions will be verified by a new technique, neutron reflectivity. From a theoretical viewpoint, analytical lattice models are being developed to examine these situations.