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Complex Soft Matter - Flow-directed Alignment

In addition to using polymers as structure directing agents, we have investigated their rheological properties and used their volume phase transition to develop active polymeric materials.

In conjunction with our block-copolymer structure direction work, we have sought to understand large-scale ordering of block copolymer domains through shear flow and thus desired to understand the rheological behavior of the polymers in question.

flow-oriented alignment
Using shear flow, we have developed a straightforward method for the macroscopic alignment of bulk polymer-nanoparticle hybrid materials from solutions. 2D SAXS patterns show orientation effects for hexagonal, lamellar and inverse hexagonal samples.

All images and text Copyright 2008

Wiesner Research Group - Cornell University

Reference:

A. Jain, L. Hall, C. Garcia, S. Gruner, U. Wiesner. "Flow-Induced Alignment of Block Copolymer-Sol Nanoparticle Coassemblies toward Oriented Bulk Polymer-Silica Hybrids" Macromolecules, 38, 2005, 10095-10100.