title: Simple "kink" model of melt intercalation in polymer-clay nanocomposites.
abstract: We propose a simple semiphenomenological model to describe the dynamics of polymer melt intercalation in the gallery between the adjacent clay sheets in polymer-clay nanocomposites. Within this model, the intercalation process is driven by the motion of localized excitations ("kinks") which open up the tip between the clay sheets. These kinks belong to a novel type of solitonlike excitations that appear due to the interplay between the double-well potential of the clay-clay long-range interaction, bending elasticity of the sheets, and external shear force. We find that the kink solutions can exist only if applied shear is sufficiently strong, in a qualitative agreement with experimental data.
authors.affiliation: The Dow Chemical Company, Building 1702, Midland, Michigan 48674, USA.
authors.forename: V V
authors.initials: VV
authors.lastname: Ginzburg
authors.forename: O V
authors.initials: OV
authors.lastname: Gendelman
authors.forename: L I
authors.initials: LI
authors.lastname: Manevitch