Chemical Research in Chinese Universities ›› 2025, Vol. 41 ›› Issue (1): 21-32.doi: 10.1007/s40242-024-4181-7

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A Computer Simulation Study on Deposition Patterns of Cyclic Diblock Copolymer Solution Nanodroplets: Influence of Polymer Length and Concentration

PEI Hanwen1,2, ZHANG Jun1,2, SUN Zhaoyan1,2   

  1. 1. State Key Laboratory of Polymer Physics and Chemistry & Key Laboratory of Polymer Science and Technology, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun 130022, P. R. China;
    2. School of Applied Chemistry and Engineering, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, P. R. China
  • Received:2024-08-19 Online:2025-02-01 Published:2025-01-18
  • Contact: SUN Zhaoyan,zysun@ciac.ac.cn E-mail:zysun@ciac.ac.cn
  • Supported by:
    This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. 52293471, 22103081) and the National Key R&D Program of China (No. 2022YFB3707303).

Abstract: Molecular dynamics simulations are conducted to investigate the deposition patterns of cyclic diblock copolymer solution nanodroplets on solid surfaces (walls). The primary focus is how initial polymer concentration, chain length, and solvent-wall interaction affect these patterns. Deposition patterns are categorized into phase diagrams, mainly composed of multihollow, coffee-ring, and multilayer structures. We also study the deposition of polymer blocks with different adsorption behavior by adjusting the interaction strength between the polymer block and the wall [εA(B)W], including weakly adsorbable (εA(B)W=0.6), moderately adsorbable (εA(B)W=1.0), and strongly adsorbable (εA(B)W=1.2) polymer blocks. This study identifies the key factors influencing the droplet's deposition structure and elucidates the mechanisms behind pattern formation. The findings contribute to the design of deposition patterns for cyclic diblock copolymer solution nanodroplets, enhancing applications related to droplet evaporation.

Key words: Cyclic diblock copolymer, Nanodroplet, Evaporation, Deposition pattern, Chain length and concentration