Article
Thermodynamics
Mingdong Ju, Bin Li, Wei Xiang, Zhentao Wang, Junfeng Wang
Summary: The electro-deformation and breakup dynamics of nanoparticle-laden droplets under electric fields were investigated using molecular dynamics simulations. It was found that SiO2 nanoparticles can stabilize the droplets and improve their stability. The droplet stability is higher under alternating current fields compared to direct current fields, and increasing the AC frequency enhances stability. These findings are valuable for optimizing the design of compact and efficient oil-water separators.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF HEAT AND MASS TRANSFER
(2023)
Article
Polymer Science
Rajdeep Singh Payal, Jens-Uwe Sommer
Summary: Through molecular dynamics simulations, we found that under weak extension, the crystallization of polymer melts can lead to an increase in stem length, despite the mechanical work on the system being much smaller compared to the heat of fusion.
Review
Crystallography
Niall J. English
Summary: Elucidating the mechanisms of molecular solidification in both homo- and heterogeneous systems, especially the effect of external applied fields like electric fields, is crucial for understanding natural phenomena, conducting state-of-the-art experiments, and optimizing industrial processes.
Article
Optics
Niels Geerits, Stephan Sponar
Summary: The study demonstrates that neutral magnetic spin-1/2 particles traveling through an electric field generate spin-orbit coupled states, creating both longitudinal and transverse orbital angular momentum. The conservation of total angular momentum of the particle is shown, and a neutron optical experiment is proposed to measure the transverse effect.
Article
Physics, Multidisciplinary
Chi Xu, Jiaxian Li, Min Wei, Xiaoyan Zhou, Hangjun Lu
Summary: The structure and stability of nitrogen hydrate confined in a single-walled carbon nanotube were studied under an external electric field using molecular dynamics simulations. The results showed that the direction of the electric field has a significant impact on the structure and distribution of nitrogen molecules in the nanotube. A parallel electric field destabilizes the hydrate and releases nitrogen molecules, while a vertical electric field redistributes nitrogen molecules from the core to the shell. The occupancy of nitrogen molecules follows a sigmoid-like function as the electric field direction changes. These findings can contribute to the development of methods for controlling gas release and encapsulation using electric fields.
Article
Polymer Science
Alina Wettstein, Diddo Diddens, Andreas Heuer
Summary: This study investigates the effects of an external electric field on poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) doped with lithium-bis-(trifluoromethane)sulfonimide (LiTFSI) salt through extensive atomistic molecular dynamics simulations. The research reveals a transformation in the structure of PEO chains and nonlinear behavior in dynamic properties under the influence of the electric field. Surprisingly, the study shows a slowdown in ion transport instead of enhancement due to structural changes induced by the field application.
Article
Astronomy & Astrophysics
Jesus Saenz, Michael Engelhardt, Roman Hoellwieser
Summary: This study uses a Foldy-Wouthuysen transformation to derive the energy shift of a pointlike neutron in an external field, generalizing Foldy's result on dipole electric polarizability in a derivative expansion. It determines the ten leading Foldy contributions to the energy for a zero-momentum neutron and derives analogous results for a zero-velocity neutron by eliminating the momentum operator in favor of the velocity operator, encountering operator ordering ambiguities.
Article
Mechanics
Yu Tian, Baoli Wang, Chenyang Zhao, Wuxing Lai, Yin Guan, Weiwei Deng, YongAn Huang
Summary: Air cushioning and bubble entrapment can be eliminated by charging droplets or applying external electric fields during low-velocity droplet impact. This study numerically investigates the impact of charged droplets on solid surfaces under external electric fields and finds that net charge can enhance the field on one side while weakening it on the opposite side, following a linear superimposition in the atmosphere. The scaling law for the electric field threshold required for impact without air cushioning or bubble entrapment is given, and a fitting function based on this scaling law shows good agreement with the phase diagram of charged droplet impact modes under electric fields. These findings provide valuable insights for applications involving charged droplets' impact under electric fields.
Review
Chemistry, Physical
Shiyue Wu, Xiaoqing Yang, Heng Jing, Yue Chu, Jianping Yuan, Zhanxia Zhu, Kama Huang
Summary: In this study, the effect of external electric fields on the interaction between sulfur dioxide and water was investigated using density functional theory (DFT) and molecular dynamics (MD) methods. The results showed that the electric field reduces the binding energy between sulfur dioxide and water, inhibits the diffusion of sulfur dioxide, and decreases its solubility.
JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR LIQUIDS
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Peng-Kai Kao, Bryan J. VanSaders, Sharon C. Glotzer, Michael J. Solomon
Summary: This research demonstrates that cyclically applied electric fields can improve the quality of colloidal crystals by annealing local disorder. The optimal off-duration for maximum annealing is found to be approximately half of the characteristic melting half lifetime of the crystalline phase. Local six-fold bond orientational order grows more rapidly than global scattering peaks, indicating that local restructuring leads to global annealing.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Xiangyu Ge, Xiaodong Wu, Qiuyu Shi, Wenzhong Wang
Summary: This study investigated the lubrication performances of polyalkylene glycols, which are insulating oils, under external electric fields. The results showed that these electric fields significantly influenced the lubrication performances and there was an optimal voltage for friction reduction improvement. Surface analysis and experimental results indicated that the formation of adsorption film and the reduction of certain substances contributed to improved friction performance under negative voltage conditions. This work demonstrated the impact of external electric fields on the lubrication performances of insulating oils and proposed a lubrication model for understanding the lubrication mechanisms in electric environments.
Article
Physics, Mathematical
Maria N. Boldyreva, Alexey A. Magazev
Summary: The study focuses on the symmetry properties and exact integration of Klein-Gordon equations in external electromagnetic fields on a 3D de Sitter background dS(3). An algorithm for constructing the first-order symmetry algebra is presented, and the structure is described in terms of Lie algebra extensions. Electromagnetic fields on dS(3) are classified based on the classification of subalgebras of so(1,3), and integrable cases are selected for constructing exact solutions using a noncommutative integration method. An algebraic method for constructing special local coordinates in de Sitter space dS(3) with simple basis vector fields for subalgebras of the Lie algebra so(1,3) is also proposed.
JOURNAL OF MATHEMATICAL PHYSICS
(2021)
Article
Engineering, Aerospace
T. Salnikova, S. Stepanov, E. Kugushev
Summary: This paper investigates the evolution of a cloud of interacting particles orbiting the Earth, using a special form of equations of motion for numerical simulations in a non-inertial orbital coordinate system to obtain relative configurations.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Song Yu, Pascal Vermeeren, Trevor A. Hamlin, F. Matthias Bickelhaupt
Summary: The study demonstrates that an external electric field along the reaction axis enhances electrostatic and orbital interactions, lowering the reaction barrier. However, a field perpendicular to the reaction axis stabilizes only one stereoisomer pathway of the reaction.
CHEMISTRY-A EUROPEAN JOURNAL
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Xin He, Ben-Xi Zhang, Shuo-Lin Wang, Yi-Feng Wang, Yan-Ru Yang, Xiao-Dong Wang, Duu-Jong Lee
Summary: This study used molecular dynamic simulations to investigate the coalescence dynamics of two charged droplets under three types of electric fields. It found that the contact time is shortest under the DC electric field, followed by the AC and pulsed DC electric fields. The critical field strengths of DC and AC electric fields are the same but lower than that of the pulsed DC electric field.
JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR LIQUIDS
(2021)
Article
Physics, Multidisciplinary
Jiajia Zhou, Masao Doi
Summary: Using the Onsager variational principle, this study investigates the dynamic coupling between stress and composition in a polymer solution, and derives all dynamic equations based on a dumbbell model for the polymer.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Chen Zhao, Jiajia Zhou, Masao Doi
Summary: This study investigates the dynamics of fluid rising in a capillary tube with corners and derives time-evolution equations for the bulk part and finger part. The results show that the dynamics is dominated by the bulk part during the early stage, while in the late stage, the bulk part stops rising while the finger part continues to rise.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Yutian Shen, Jiyu Xu, Mingcheng Yang, Yongfeng Huang, Cui Zhang, Jiajia Zhou, Kai Sun, Sheng Meng
Summary: When liquid droplets come into contact with a fully miscible liquid film of lower surface tension, they form spherical caps instead of quickly merging. The spherical cap can last for minutes before finally merging into the film. This phenomenon is due to the large viscous forces in the thin film, which suppress surface flow and maintain the surface tension gradient.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Zhaoxia Niu, Han Gao, Masao Doi, Jiajia Zhou, Ye Xu
Summary: This study investigates the interplay between advancing consolidation fronts and propagating cracks during the drying process using directional drying channels with wedge-shaped edges of different angles. The results show that, although the shape of the consolidation fronts is altered by the drying edge, the growth direction of the cracks remains perpendicular to the consolidation fronts throughout the drying process, resulting in cracks with a large curvature.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Longhao Zhang, Hao Yan, JiaJia Zhou, Ziguang Zhao, Jin Huang, Lie Chen, Yunfei Ru, Mingjie Liu
Summary: A skeletal muscle-inspired organohydrogel actuator is reported, with solvents confined in hydrophobic microdomains. It is driven by compartmentalized directional network deformation instead of volume change, avoiding limitations from solvent diffusion. The organohydrogel actuator has a frequency of 0.11 Hz, 110 times faster than traditional solvent diffusion-driven hydrogel actuators (<10(-3) Hz), and can lift more than 85 times its own weight. This design achieves high responsive speed, high actuation strength, and large material size, proposing a strategy to fabricate hydrogel actuators comparable with skeletal muscle performance.
ADVANCED MATERIALS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Zhanhui Gan, Dongdong Zhou, Zhuang Ma, Miao Xu, Zhuoqi Xu, Jiawen He, Jiajia Zhou, Xue-Hui Dong
Summary: This work demonstrates an effective approach to regulating phase behaviors of block copolymers by programming local features into linear chains. Through designing sequence-defined isomeric block copolymers, different phase behaviors can be achieved without changing the chemical structure or composition. The research highlights the significant impact of rearranging methylene units among the side chains on self-assembly processes and resulting nanostructures.
JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Lie Chen, Cong Zhao, Jin Huang, Jiajia Zhou, Mingjie Liu
Summary: The development of flexible electronics and soft robotics requires materials with wide-range switchable stiffness. In this study, a polymer network that can switch between a soft ionogel and a rigid plastic with a large stiffness change is reported. The stiffness-changing ratio of the polymer network can be tuned by adjusting the interactions between the polymer and ionic liquids.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Bing Liu, Jiajia Zhou, An-Chang Shi
Summary: The rotational dynamics of discoid particles in quasi-two-dimensional colloidal plastic crystals stabilized via depletion interactions were studied using time-resolved confocal microscopy. A strong coupling between the lattice symmetry and particle rotation was observed, resulting in anisotropic rotational dynamics resembling the underlying hexagonal crystalline symmetry. The presence of orientational minima and potential barriers on the potential surface was found to contribute to the slow rotational diffusion.
JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY LETTERS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Zhongpeng Zhu, Yupeng Chen, Xianfeng Luo, Weining Miao, Zhichao Dong, Jiajia Zhou, Ye Tian, Lei Jiang
Summary: Controllable ultrafast impact superspreading behavior without splash and retraction is achieved on superamphiphilic silicon surfaces by regulating surface wettability. The existence of a precursor film induced by heterogeneous surface wettability at the spreading edge is found to inhibit splash and retraction. This impact superspreading behavior offers effective heat dissipation for spray cooling.
JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY
(2023)
Article
Polymer Science
Jianwei Zhang, Jinyu Lei, Wenzhang Tian, Guangzhao Zhang, George Floudas, Jiajia Zhou
Summary: Molecular dynamics simulations were performed to investigate the capillary filling dynamics of polymer chains in nanopores using a coarse-grained model. Short chains fill slower than predicted by the Lucas-Washburn equation, while long chains fill faster. The analysis suggests that the combination of confinement effect and reduction of effective radius due to the dead zone slows down the imbibition. Reduction of entanglements is the main factor behind the reversing dynamics, leading to faster filling due to lower effective viscosity.
Article
Polymer Science
Tao Wen, Yuting Gao, Jiajia Zhou, Jie Qiu, Shuo Wang, Joachim Loos, Dujin Wang, Xia Dong
Summary: In this study, we introduce a simple method for fast fabrication of porous films and coatings of long-chain polyamides through a nonconventional evaporation induced phase separation. The amphiphilic nature of polyamide 12 allows it to be dissolved in a mixture of high-polarity and low-polarity solvents, leading to the formation of porous structures within 1 min through sequential and fast evaporation. We also investigate the dependence of pore structures on the composition of solutions and demonstrate the applicability of our approach to other long-chain polycondensates. Our findings provide valuable insights into the fabrication of porous materials using amphiphilic polymers.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Jianwei Zhang, Lu Qian, Jiajia Zhou, Guangzhao Zhang
Summary: Surface tension is crucial in various fields such as adhesion, wetting, and capillarity. This study combines experiments and molecular dynamics simulations to investigate the relationship between the surface tension of poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) solution and its molecular weight. The experimental results reveal that the surface tension is scaled to the molecular weight with a certain factor α, up to a critical molecular weight (M*). Simulation results show that α decreases as the solvent quality worsens. The combined findings indicate that PEO concentration has a slight effect on α, while M* decreases with decreasing solvent quality or increasing polymer concentration. The study demonstrates that the adsorption of the polymer at the air-solution surface determines the surface tension of the polymer solution.
JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY B
(2023)
Article
Polymer Science
Luyang Li, Xiangmeng Jia, Qingshu Dong, Jiajia Zhou, Weihua Li
Summary: The self-assembly behavior of symmetric diblock copolymers was investigated using self-consistent field theory and dissipative particle dynamics. It was found that the hexagonal dot pattern observed in thin films is an equilibrium morphology that requires ultrathin thickness and asymmetric surface affinities.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Yongyang Song, Jiajia Zhou, Zhongpeng Zhu, Xiaoxia Li, Yue Zhang, Xinyi Shen, Padraic O'Reilly, Xiuling Li, Xinmiao Liang, Lei Jiang, Shutao Wang
Summary: In this study, the authors synthesized hydrophilic-hydrophobic heterostructure particles (HL-HBPs) using a surface heterogeneous nanostructuring strategy and demonstrated their omnidispersibility. These particles can be dispersed in solvents with different polarity and boiling point, and show efficient adsorption and release of organic dyes.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Bing Liu, Jiajia Zhou, An-Chang Shi
Summary: This study quantitatively investigates the rotational dynamics of discoid particles in quasi-two-dimensional colloidal plastic crystals stabilized via depletion interactions using time-resolved confocal microscopy. The results reveal a strong coupling between lattice symmetry and particle rotation, resulting in anisotropic rotational dynamics resembling the underlying hexagonal crystalline symmetry. The observed slow rotational diffusion is attributed to orientational minima and potential barriers on the potential surface. These findings provide important insights into the role of attraction in the phase behaviors of plastic crystals.
JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY LETTERS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Yiping Yin, Zhe Wang, Hua Zou
Summary: This study presents a novel method for preparing dimpled polymer-silica nanocomposite particles using interfacial swelling-based seeded polymerization. The optimized conditions allow for a relatively high percentage of dimpled particles to be achieved.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Brenden D. Hoehn, Elizabeth A. Kellstedt, Marc A. Hillmyer
Summary: Porous materials with nanometer-scale pores have important applications as nanoporous membranes. In this study, ABA triblock copolymers were used as precursors to produce nanoporous polymeric membranes (NPMs) in thin film form by degrading the end blocks. Polycyclooctene (PCOE) NPMs with tunable pore sizes were successfully prepared using solvent casting technique. Oxygen plasma etching was employed to improve the surface porosity and hydrophilicity of the membranes. This study provides a straightforward method to produce tough NPMs with high porosity and hydrophilic surface properties.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Vladislav S. Petrovskii, Stepan I. Zholudev, Igor I. Potemkin
Summary: This article investigates the behavior of linear and ring polypeptide chains in aqueous solution and explores the properties of the complexes formed by these chains with oppositely charged surfactants. The results demonstrate that the complexes of linear supercharged unfolded polypeptides and the corresponding surfactants exhibit impressive adhesive properties.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Merve Cevik, Serkan Dikici
Summary: Cardiovascular diseases are a leading cause of death globally, and vascular grafts are a promising treatment option. This study focuses on tissue-engineered vascular grafts (TEVGs) using decellularized parsley stems as a potential biomaterial. The decellularized parsley stems showed suitable properties for TEVGs, providing a suitable environment for human endothelial cells to form a pseudo endothelium. This study showcases the potential of using parsley stems for TEVGs.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Gustavo A. Vasquez-Montoya, Tadej Emersic, Noe Atzin, Antonio Tavera-Vazquez, Ali Mozaffari, Rui Zhang, Orlando Guzman, Alexey Snezhko, Paul F. Nealey, Juan J. de Pablo
Summary: The optical properties of liquid crystals are typically controlled by electric fields. In this study, we investigate the effects of microfluidic flows and acoustic fields on the molecular orientation and optical response of nematic liquid crystals. We identify several previously unknown structures and explain them through calculations and simulations. These findings hold promise for the development of new systems combining sound, flow, and confinement.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Xinjun Wu, Xin Guan, Shushu Chen, Jiangpeng Jia, Chongyi Chen, Jiawei Zhang, Chuanzhuang Zhao
Summary: This research presents a novel shape memory hydrogel with a remodelable permanent shape and programmable cold-induced shape recovery behavior. The hydrogel is prepared using specific treatment methods to achieve shape fixation by heating and shape recovery by cooling. Additionally, deformable devices can be obtained by assembling hydrogel blocks with different concentrations.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Rebecca Hengsbach, Gerhard Fink, Ulrich Simon
Summary: This study examines the properties of DNA functionalized pNipmam microgels and pure pNipmam microgels at different concentrations of sodium chloride and in PBS solutions using temperature dependent H-1-NMR measurements. The results show that DNA modification affects the volume phase transition temperature and the addition of salt and PBS further enhances this effect.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Ningyi Li, Junhong Li, Lijingting Qing, Shicheng Ma, Yao Li, Baohui Li
Summary: This paper investigates the self-assembly behavior of colloids with competing interactions under spherical confinement and finds that different ordered structures can be formed under different sized spherical confinements. Moreover, more perforated structures are formed in smaller spheres.
