%0 Journal Article
%A Riest, Jonas
%A Athanasopoulou, Labrini
%A Egorov, Sergei A.
%A Likos, Christos N.
%A Ziherl, Primož
%T Elasticity of polymeric nanocolloidal particles
%J Scientific reports
%V 5
%@ 2045-2322
%C London
%I Nature Publishing Group
%M FZJ-2015-06850
%P 15854 -
%D 2015
%X Softness is an essential mechanical feature of macromolecular particles such as polymer-grafted nanocolloids, polyelectrolyte networks, cross-linked microgels as well as block copolymer and dendrimer micelles. Elasticity of individual particles directly controls their swelling, wetting, and adsorption behaviour, their aggregation and self-assembly as well as structural and rheological properties of suspensions. Here we use numerical simulations and self-consistent field theory to study the deformation behaviour of a single spherical polymer brush upon diametral compression. We observe a universal response, which is rationalised using scaling arguments and interpreted in terms of two coarse-grained models. At small and intermediate compressions the deformation can be accurately reproduced by modelling the brush as a liquid drop, whereas at large compressions the brush behaves as a soft ball. Applicable far beyond the pairwise-additive small-strain regime, the models may be used to describe microelasticity of nanocolloids in severe confinement including dense disordered and crystalline phases.
%F PUB:(DE-HGF)16
%9 Journal Article
%U <Go to ISI:>//WOS:000363904200001
%$ pmid:26522242
%R 10.1038/srep15854
%U https://juser.fz-juelich.de/record/276402