Experimental and Theoretical Studies of Thermal Motions in Liquids and Polymer Systems

Robert Pecora教授获得了理论和计算化学计划的资助，对液体和聚合物系统的热运动进行理论和实验研究。Pecora教授将采用多种实验方法，包括干涉测量、光子相关光谱、强迫瑞利散射和瞬态电双折射，研究刚性和半刚性棒状分子的稀溶液和非稀溶液。他还将研究由棒、球和线圈的各种组合组成的复合溶液。他将研究的一些杆状分子是DNA限制性片段。理论上的工作将包括正式的理论建模和布朗动力学计算机模拟。复合液体是一种普遍存在的含有聚合物、颗粒和溶剂的材料。它们被用作陶瓷前体、润滑剂、油漆和涂料、粘合剂和色谱柱。由于它们的复杂性和缺乏适当的模型系统，这些系统中物种之间的相互作用尚未得到很好的理解。Pecora构建了一种模型棒/球复合液体，其动力学可以在棒和球的广泛组成范围内进行研究，使用一种称为动态光散射的实验技术。

Professor Robert Pecora is supported by a grant from the Theoretical and Computational Chemistry Program to perform theoretical and experimental research on thermal motions in liquid and polymer systems. Professor Pecora will emply a number of experimental methods including interferometry, photon correlation spectroscopy, forced Rayleigh scattering and transient electric birefringence to study dilute and non-dilute solutions of rigid and semi-rigid rod-like molecules. He will also study composite solutions consisting of various combinations of rods, spheres, and coils. Some of the rod-like molecules he will study are DNA restriction fragments. The theoretical effort will involve both formal theoretical modeling and Brownian dynamics computer simulations. %%% Composite liquids are a ubiquitous class of materials which contain polymer, particles and solvent. They are used as ceramic precursors, lubricants, paints and coatings, adhesives, and in chromatographic columns. Due to their complexity and the lack of adequate model systems, the interactions between the species in such systems are not well understood. Pecora has constructed a model rod/sphere composite liquid whose dynamics can be studied over a wide range of composition of both the rods and the spheres using an experimental technique known as dynamic light scattering.