We exploit the concept of competing interactions to design a binary mixture of patchy particles that forms a reversible gel upon heating. Our molecular dynamics computer simulation of such a system shows that with increasing temperature the relaxation dynamics slows down by more than four orders of magnitude and then speeds up again. The system is thus a fluid both at high and at low temperatures and a solid-like disordered open network structure at intermediate temperature. We further discuss the feasibility of realizing a real material with this reversible behavior.
Gelling by heating / ROLDAN VARGAS, Sandalo; Smallenburg, Frank; Walter, Kob; Sciortino, Francesco. - In: SCIENTIFIC REPORTS. - ISSN 2045-2322. - 3:(2013), p. 2451. [10.1038/srep02451]
Gelling by heating
ROLDAN VARGAS, SANDALO;SMALLENBURG, FRANK;SCIORTINO, Francesco
2013
Abstract
We exploit the concept of competing interactions to design a binary mixture of patchy particles that forms a reversible gel upon heating. Our molecular dynamics computer simulation of such a system shows that with increasing temperature the relaxation dynamics slows down by more than four orders of magnitude and then speeds up again. The system is thus a fluid both at high and at low temperatures and a solid-like disordered open network structure at intermediate temperature. We further discuss the feasibility of realizing a real material with this reversible behavior.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.