SKM 2021 – scientific programme

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CPP: Fachverband Chemische Physik und Polymerphysik

CPP 6: Poster Session II

CPP 6.10: Poster

Tuesday, September 28, 2021, 17:30–19:30, P

Dissipative Self-Organization of Interfaces and Membranes — •Gregor Ibbeken and Marcus Müller — Frierich-Hund-Platz 1, 37075 Göttingen

Coupling a self-assembling system to a reaction cycle, we go beyond equilibrium self-assembly toward systems that dissipate energy and thus exhibit new, unique features of dynamic self-organization. We consider the general case of a precursor reacting with a fuel to a product, which itself can decay back to the precursor. To do so, a continuum model is utilized that treats concentrations as order parameters. Within the model, the free energy is given as a functional of the concentrations and the dynamics are computed via the chemical potentials. We show that under the assumption that the fuel diffuses faster than the reacting polymers, reactions introduce an effective connectivity between precursor and product. This way the systems show entirely different features than their respective equilibrium counterpart. For instance, a homopolymer melt can form lamellae, cylinders, spheres, as well as networks, similar to a diblock copolymer melt, and a solution with two reacting homopolymers can form bilayers. The length scale of emergent structures depends on the reaction rates. This way, one can control the size of micelles and vesicles in solution, by coupling an amphiphilic diblock copolymer to a hydrophilic precursor, giving rise to an interplay between the architecture- and the reaction-rate-determined length scales.