Temperature-dependent nanostructure of an end-tethered octadecane brush in tetradecane and nanoparticle phase behavior.
The phase behavior of a molecular brush-C(18) grafted to the surface of both a silicon wafer and SiO(2) nanoparticles was investigated as a function of temperature using neutron reflectometry (NR) and small-angle neutron scattering (SANS), respectively. The experiments demonstrate a phase change in the brush layer characterized by a straightening of the molecular configuration, increase in shell thickness, and increase in solvent concentration with decreasing temperature that corresponds to gelation in the nanoparticle dispersion.
Eberle
Aaron P R
AP
Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware 19716, USA.
Wagner
Norman J
NJ
Akgun
Bulent
B
Satija
Sushil K
SK