Oligomer/Polymer Blend Phase Diagram and Surface Concentration Profiles for Squalane/Polybutadiene: Experimental Measurements and Predictions from SAFT-? Mie and Molecular Dynamics Simulations.

ABSTRACT: The compatibility and surface behavior of squalane-polybutadiene mixtures are studied by experimental cloud point and neutron reflectivity measurements, statistical associating fluid theory (SAFT), and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. A SAFT-? Mie model is shown to be successful in capturing the cloud point curves of squalane-polybutadiene and squalane-cis-polybutadiene binary mixtures, and the same SAFT-? Mie model is used to develop a thermodynamically consistent top-down coarse-grained force field to describe squalane-polybutadiene. Coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulations are performed to study surface behavior for different concentrations of squalane, with the system exhibiting surface enrichment and a wetting transition. Simulated surface profiles are compared with those obtained by fitting to neutron reflectivity data obtained from thin films composed of deuterated squalane (d-sq)-polybutadiene. The presented top-down parametrization methodology is a fast and thermodynamically reliable approach for predicting properties of oligomer-polymer mixtures, which can be challenging for either theory or MD simulations alone.

SUBMITTER: Tasche J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7161083 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature