Physics Departmental, NUS

Title: Block copolymer nanostructures from computer simulations

Speaker:  Prof Andrei Zvelindovsky, Professor of Computational & Theoretical Physics, University of Central Lancashire, Preston, UK

Date:     22 Nov 2012, Thursday
Time:    4pm
Venue: Physics Conference Room S13 M01-11/12

Abstract:

Block copolymers (BCP) are long chain molecules consisting of several chemically different blocks. Due to the chemical nature of the bond between blocks they do not macrophase, but form various structures on the nano-scale. We discuss computer simulation results on these systems and their relation to experimental data. In this talk we focus on two topics – confinements and external fields (electric, shear). In real practice BCP are often found in thin films (of the thickness of several structural domains), and most recently – in nano-pores. Confined structures are found to be very different from the bulk ones. Manipulation by the external electric field is a way of the nanostructure alignment. Kinetics of this process can be different depending on the field strength. Computer simulation results presented are based on two models: a Ginzburg-Landau type description and on self-consistent field theory for polymers.

About the speaker:

Prof  Zvelindovsky obtained his PhD in 1993 from Odessa National University in Ukraine with the thesis “Thermal fluctuations of disperse systems”written under the late Professor Alexander Zatovsky, and continued there on research and academic posts. In 1997-1999 he worked at the University of Groningen and in 2000-2004 – at Leiden University in the Netherlands. In 2004 he moved to the University of Central Lancashire in UK, where he is now a full professor of Computational and Theoretical Physics.

Prof Zvelindovsky’s interests are in the broad area of computer simulation and theory of Soft and Active Matter.

If you need any info on the speaker, please click: http://comp-physics-uclan.org/2004/09/01/professor-andrei-zvelindovsky/
and a short CV: http://comp-physics-uclan.org/andrei-zvelindovsky-cv/

Host:
A/Prof Johan R C Van Der Maarel
Department of Physics, NUS

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