1,720,988 research outputs found
Tuning Adhesion and Energy Dissipation in Polymer Films between Solid Surfaces via Grafting and Cross-Linking
No full textPolymer adhesion is underpinned by a network of chain molecules forming both adhesive bonds with the surfaces and cohesive bonds among themselves. Understanding how this network propagates mechanical stress and dissipates energy under tension is a challenging but essential task for improving polymer adhesives. To this end, we present a series of coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulations of polymer films joining two parallel flat surfaces. The polymer molecules are modeled as chains of beads that can covalently bind to the surfaces and to each other via a Morse potential, allowing bond breakage and chain scission. The mechanical response of the polymer film is studied under both small oscillatory strains and large deformations, leading to complete breakup. Starting from a melt of ungrafted polymer chains and introducing one feature at a time, we find that polymer cross-linking enhances adhesion more than covalent surface grafting. Cross-linking and grafting may also act in synergy, provided the grafting density is homogeneous. Moreover, surface heterogeneity at the nanometer scale affects the viscoelastic response at small strains. The simple model used in our simulations provides a valuable platform to translate molecular-level features of the polymer network, such as chain connectivity and bond strength, into measurable quantities, such as adhesion forces and energy dissipation
Polymer Adhesion: Seeking New Solutions for an Old Problem
Full text linkPolymer adhesion is ubiquitous in both the natural world and human technology. It is also a complex multiscale phenomenon, such that the solution of adhesion problems requires a convergence of chemistry, physics, and engineering. In this Perspective, we provide an overview of some of the fundamental concepts that have emerged in the field of polymer adhesion, discuss recent work, and identify challenges in three specific areas: (a) theories and simulations, with an emphasis on problems involving chain scission; (b) experimental methods for measuring forces and characterizing interfaces at the molecular scale; and (c) strategies inspired by living organisms to generate underwater adhesion
Twist transitions and force generation in cholesteric liquid crystal films
No full textThe response of a cholesteric liquid crystal film to mechanical confinement is theoretically investigated considering planar anchoring conditions on the limiting surfaces and pure twist distortion of the liquid crystal director. We evaluate the total twist angle and normal force acting on the surfaces as a function of the film thickness. Assuming the Rapini-Papoular functional form for the surface anchoring energy, we show that the surface twist angle undergoes discontinuous jumps or continuous transitions as a function of the film thickness and anchoring strength. The transitions take place at well-defined film thicknesses, related to the intrinsic periodicity of the cholesteric liquid crystal, and produce oscillations in the normal force and position of the optical band-gap as the film thickness is varied
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Variations on the Author
Full text link“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
Appropriate Similarity Measures for Author Cocitation Analysis
Full text linkWe provide a number of new insights into the methodological discussion about author cocitation analysis. We first argue that the use of the Pearson correlation for measuring the similarity between authors’ cocitation profiles is not very satisfactory. We then discuss what kind of similarity measures may be used as an alternative to the Pearson correlation. We consider three similarity measures in particular. One is the well-known cosine. The other two similarity measures have not been used before in the bibliometric literature. Finally, we show by means of an example that our findings have a high practical relevance.information science;Pearson correlation;cosine;similarity measure;author cocitation analysis
Effect of Ca2+ ions on the adhesion and mechanical properties of adsorbed layers of human Osteopontin
No full textUsing an atomic force microscope and a surface force apparatus, we measured the surface coverage, adhesion, and mechanical properties of layers of osteopontin (OPN), a phosphoprotein of the human bones, adsorbed on mica. OPN is believed to connect mineralized collagen fibrils of the bone in a matrix that dissipates energy, reducing the risk of fractures. Atomic force microscopy normal force measurements showed large adhesion and energy dissipation upon retraction of the tip, which were due to the breaking of the many OPN-OPN and OPN-mica bonds formed during tip-sample contact. The dissipated energy increased in the presence of Ca2+ ions due to the formation of additional OPN-OPN and OPN-mica salt bridges between negative charges. The forces measured by surface force apparatus between two macroscopic mica surfaces were mainly repulsive and became hysteretic only in the presence of Ca2+: adsorbed layers underwent an irreversible compaction during compression due to the formation of long-lived calcium salt bridges. This provides an energy storage mechanism, which is complementary to energy dissipation and may be equally relevant to bone recovery after yield. The prevalence of one mechanism or the other appears to depend on the confinement geometry, adsorption protocol, and loading-unloading rates
Dispelling the Myths Behind First-author Citation Counts
Full text linkWe conducted a full-scale evaluative citation analysis study of scholars in the XML research field to explore just how different from each other author rankings resulting from different citation counting methods actually are, and to demonstrate the capability of emerging data and tools on the Web in supporting more realistic citation counting methods. Our results contest some common arguments for the continued
use of first-author citation counts in the evaluation of scholars, such as high correlations between author rankings by first-author citation counts and other citation
counting methods, and high costs of using more realistic citation counting methods that are not well-supported by the ISI databases. It is argued that increasingly available digital full text research papers make it possible for citation analysis studies to go beyond what the ISI databases have directly supported and to employ more
sophisticated methods
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