Molecular madeling of amorphous polymers in the condensed phase

We have developed a tractable computational approach, PRISM theory (polymer Reference Interaction Site Model), for modeling structure and thermodynamics of polymer liquids and alloys. PRISM theory allows one to predict the effect of polymer architecture and monomer structure on the intermolecular packing in the condensed phase. Three applications of this method are discussed: phase behavior of polymer blends, solubility of gases in polymers, and structure of polymers near walls and interfaces. In these applications, nonrandom mixing effects (not included in previous theories) play an important role in the macroscopic properties of importance to the materials scientist

The diffusion of simple penetrants in tangent site polymer melts

The diffusive behavior of penetrants in simple polymer melts was investigated by molecular dynamics simulation. For the case where the polymer melt consisted of pearl-necklace chains, the diffusive behavior of the loose pearl penetrants was seen to be qualitatively different than would be expected in realistic models of polymer melts. In particular, there was little or no ''non-Fickiano'' region; the variation of the diffusion coefficient with the penetrant diameter was what one would expect for diffusion through small molecular liquids; and, finally, the long time tail of the velocity auto correlation displayed a ''-3/2'' power law form, also as in the small molecular liquid case. When the chains' backbone motion was further constrained by the introduction of a bond angle potential, the qualitative nature of the penetrant diffusion became more ''polymer-like''. A non-Fickian region developed; the diffusion coefficient varied more rapidly with penetrant diameter; and the velocity autocorrelation function developed a ''-5/2'' power law tail as would be expected for the diffusion of particles with a wide distribution of trapping times

Density Functional Theory of Simple Polymers in a Slit Pore: 2. The Role of Compressibility and Field Type

Simple tangent, hard site chains near a hard wall are modeled with a Density Functional (DF) theory that uses the direct correlation function, c(r), as its ''input''. Two aspects of this DF theory are focused upon: (1) the consequences of variations in c(r)'s detailed form; and (2) the correct way to introduce c(r) into the DF formalism. The most important aspect of c(r) is found to be its integrated value, {cflx c}(0). Indeed, it appears that, for fixed {cflx c}(0), all reasonable guesses of the detailed shape of c(r) result in surprisingly similar density distributions, {rho}(r). Of course, the more accurate the c(r), the better the {rho}(r). As long as the length scale introduced by c(r) is roughly the hard site diameter and as long as the solution remains liquid-like, the {rho}(r) is found to be in good agreement with simulation results. The c(r) is used in DF theory to calculate the medium-induced-potential, U{sub M}(r) from the density distribution, {rho}(r). The form of U{sub M}(r) can be chosen to be one of a number of different forms. It is found that the forms for U{sub M}(r), which yield the most accurate results for the wall problem, are also those which were suggested as accurate in previous, related studies

Self-assembly of polymers in confined geometrics.

Athermal, tethered chains are modeled with Density Functional (DFT) theory for both the explicit solvent and continuum solvent cases. The structure of DFT is shown to reduce to Self-Consistent-Field (SCF) theory in the incompressible limit where there is symmetry between solvent and monomer, and to Single-Chain-Mean-Field (SCMF) theory in the continuum solvent limit. We show that by careful selection of the reference and ideal systems in DFT theory, self-consistent numerical solutions can be obtained, thereby avoiding the single chain Monte Carlo simulation in SCMF theory. On long length scales, excellent agreement is seen between the simplified DFT theory and Molecular Dynamics simulations of both continuum solvents and explicit-molecule solvents. In order to describe the structure of the polymer and solvent near the surface it is necessary to include compressibility effects and the nonlocality of the field

Report on ASC project degradation of organic materials.

Using molecular dynamics simulations, a constitutive model for the chemical aging of polymer networks was developed. This model incorporates the effects on the stress from the chemical crosslinks and the physical entanglements. The independent network hypothesis has been modified to account for the stress transfer between networks due to crosslinking and scission in strained states. This model was implemented in the finite element code Adagio and validated through comparison with experiment. Stress relaxation data was used to deduce crosslinking history and the resulting history was used to predict permanent set. The permanent set predictions agree quantitatively with experiment

Global disparities in surgeons’ workloads, academic engagement and rest periods: the on-calL shIft fOr geNEral SurgeonS (LIONESS) study

: The workload of general surgeons is multifaceted, encompassing not only surgical procedures but also a myriad of other responsibilities. From April to May 2023, we conducted a CHERRIES-compliant internet-based survey analyzing clinical practice, academic engagement, and post-on-call rest. The questionnaire featured six sections with 35 questions. Statistical analysis used Chi-square tests, ANOVA, and logistic regression (SPSS® v. 28). The survey received a total of 1.046 responses (65.4%). Over 78.0% of responders came from Europe, 65.1% came from a general surgery unit; 92.8% of European and 87.5% of North American respondents were involved in research, compared to 71.7% in Africa. Europe led in publishing research studies (6.6 ± 8.6 yearly). Teaching involvement was high in North America (100%) and Africa (91.7%). Surgeons reported an average of 6.7 ± 4.9 on-call shifts per month, with European and North American surgeons experiencing 6.5 ± 4.9 and 7.8 ± 4.1 on-calls monthly, respectively. African surgeons had the highest on-call frequency (8.7 ± 6.1). Post-on-call, only 35.1% of respondents received a day off. Europeans were most likely (40%) to have a day off, while African surgeons were least likely (6.7%). On the adjusted multivariable analysis HDI (Human Development Index) (aOR 1.993) hospital capacity > 400 beds (aOR 2.423), working in a specialty surgery unit (aOR 2.087), and making the on-call in-house (aOR 5.446), significantly predicted the likelihood of having a day off after an on-call shift. Our study revealed critical insights into the disparities in workload, access to research, and professional opportunities for surgeons across different continents, underscored by the HDI

Application of integral equation theory to polyolefin liquids and blends

The ability to model the packing of polymers in melts and blends is important in many polymer applications. One significant application is the development of new polymer blends. It would be exceedingly helpful to the materials chemist if molecular modeling could be employed to predict the thermodynamics and phase behavior of hypothetical polymer alloys before embarking on a time consuming and expensive synthesis program. The well known Flory-Huggins theory has been remarkably successful in describing many aspects of polymer mixing from a qualitative point of view. This theory is known, however, to suffer from several deficiencies which can be traceable to the fact that: (1) it is a lattice model requiring both monomer components to have the same volume; and (2) a mean field or random mixing approximation is made which effectively ignores chain connectivity. Because of these limitations the Flory-Huggins theory does not include packing effects and cannot be used to make quantitative molecular engineering calculations. Recently Curro and Schweizer developed a new approach for treating polymer liquids and mixtures which the authors call PRISM theory. This is an extension to polymers of the Reference Interaction Site Model (RISM Theory) developed by Chandler and Andersen to describe the statistical mechanics of small molecule liquids. The PRISM theory is a continuous space description of a polymer liquid, which includes chain connectivity and nonrandom mixing effects in a computationally tractable manner. The primary output from PRISM calculations is the average structure or packing of the amorphous liquid given by the radial distribution function denoted as g(r). This radial distribution function is employed to deduce thermodynamic or structural properties of interest. Here, the authors describe the theoretical approach and demonstrate its application to polyethylene, isotactic polypropylene, syndiotactic polypropylene, and polyisobutylene liquids and blends