MRSEC Seminar

Multiblock Polymers, Functionalization, and the Design of Polymer Nanocomposite Materials from Solutions

Alex Travesset

Associate Professor of Physics
Iowa State University and Ames Lab

Monday, September 21, 2:00 p.m.

Ford Center, ITW Classroom (Room 1.350)

The phase diagram of soluble non-ionic polymers in aqueous solutions containing hydrophobic monomers is amazingly rich. A prototypical example is provided by Pluronic (or Poloxamers) polymers, consisting of symmetric triblocks of Polyethylene oxide (PEO) and Polypropilene oxide (PPO), which have been intensively studied over the last decade and display a miriad of phases, both liquid crystalline (nematic, cubatic, etc.) or crystalline (bcc, fcc, hexagonal, etc.) as a function of concentration, block length and temperature. In this talk, I will first present a general approach to map the phase diagram of non-ionic multiblock polymers from coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulations. As a concrete example, I will discuss micellar crystals with cubic symmetry in Pluronic systems. In the second part of the talk, I will discuss general strategies for building nanocomposite materials from non-ionic polymers in solution. Functionalization, that is, attaching concrete groups with particular affinity for nanoparticles to the polymer end groups, is a particularly successful strategy. I will conclude with some perspectives and outlook.

Host: Professor Monica Olvera de la Cruz, MSE