The chain conformation of polymers in binary solvent mixtures is a key issue in the study of functional soft matter and lies at the heart of various applications such as smart soft materials.Based on a minimal lattice...The chain conformation of polymers in binary solvent mixtures is a key issue in the study of functional soft matter and lies at the heart of various applications such as smart soft materials.Based on a minimal lattice model,we employ Monte Carlo(MC)simulation to systematically investigate the effects of solvent qualities on the conformation of a single homopolymer chain in binary mixed solvents.We also perform calculations using a Flory-type mean-field theory.We focus on how the introduction of a second solvent B affects the dependence of chain conformation on the quality of solvent A.We mainly examine the effects of the composition of solvent B,denoted by x,and the interactions between the two solvents.First,when x is low,the mean-square chain radius of gyration exhibits qualitatively similar behaviors to those in an individual solvent A,with a slight chain contraction when solvent A is very good.Second,in equal-molar mixtures with x=0.5,a homopolymer chain collapses when solvent A is either poor or very good,while expands at intermediate qualities.Lastly,at large x,a chain undergoes a coil-to-globule transition with the increasing quality of solvent A when solvent B is good,but mainly adopts the collapsed conformation when solvent B is poor.Our findings not only improve our understanding on the chain conformation in binary solvent mixtures,but also provide valuable guidance on the rational design of stimuli-responsive polymeric materials.展开更多
基金financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Nos.22473024,22073016 and 21803011)the award of Shanghai Dongfang Scholar。
文摘The chain conformation of polymers in binary solvent mixtures is a key issue in the study of functional soft matter and lies at the heart of various applications such as smart soft materials.Based on a minimal lattice model,we employ Monte Carlo(MC)simulation to systematically investigate the effects of solvent qualities on the conformation of a single homopolymer chain in binary mixed solvents.We also perform calculations using a Flory-type mean-field theory.We focus on how the introduction of a second solvent B affects the dependence of chain conformation on the quality of solvent A.We mainly examine the effects of the composition of solvent B,denoted by x,and the interactions between the two solvents.First,when x is low,the mean-square chain radius of gyration exhibits qualitatively similar behaviors to those in an individual solvent A,with a slight chain contraction when solvent A is very good.Second,in equal-molar mixtures with x=0.5,a homopolymer chain collapses when solvent A is either poor or very good,while expands at intermediate qualities.Lastly,at large x,a chain undergoes a coil-to-globule transition with the increasing quality of solvent A when solvent B is good,but mainly adopts the collapsed conformation when solvent B is poor.Our findings not only improve our understanding on the chain conformation in binary solvent mixtures,but also provide valuable guidance on the rational design of stimuli-responsive polymeric materials.
