Tailoring the structure of polymer networks with iniferter-mediated photo-growth
Using dissipative particle dynamics (DPD), we developed a computational approach to capture the photo-controlled radical polymerization (“photo-growth”) of polymer gels containing trithiocarbonate (TTC) groups within the network strands. Using this model, we focused on a “primary gel” and illuminate...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Other Authors: | |
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | en_US |
| Published: |
Royal Society of Chemistry
2017
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| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/108475 https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9157-6491 |
| Summary: | Using dissipative particle dynamics (DPD), we developed a computational approach to capture the photo-controlled radical polymerization (“photo-growth”) of polymer gels containing trithiocarbonate (TTC) groups within the network strands. Using this model, we focused on a “primary gel” and illuminated the sample to activate the TTCs, which then interacted with monomer and cross-linker in the solution. At low TTC concentrations, gels composed of compatible monomers formed two distinct, spatially separated layers. Conversely, at high TTC concentration, gels formed from incompatible components displayed a well-intermixed structure. Hence, in the presence of light, variations in the TTC concentration provide a new approach for controllably tailoring the structure of polymer gels, and thereby tailoring the functionality of the network. |
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