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Full-Text Articles in Physical Sciences and Mathematics

Contact Angles And Contact Lines Around Particles At Isotropic And Anisotropic Liquid Interfaces, Nesrin Senbil Nov 2015

Contact Angles And Contact Lines Around Particles At Isotropic And Anisotropic Liquid Interfaces, Nesrin Senbil

Doctoral Dissertations

Liquid interfaces, capillarity and self-assembly of particles at interfaces are important in nature and technology. When a particle is adsorbed to a liquid interface, the contact line of the particle with the liquid interface and the associated contact angle are the crucial parameters that drive assembly of the particles. We looked at how the shape of the liquid interface and the shape of the particle affect the contact angle and the shape of the contact line. We used millimeter-sized PDMS-coated glass spheres and measured the contact angles at isotropic (planar) and anisotropic interfaces (saddle and cylindrical in shape). Anisotropy of …


Emergent Structure Of Multi-Dislocation Ground States In Frustrated Assemblies, Amir Azadi Nov 2015

Emergent Structure Of Multi-Dislocation Ground States In Frustrated Assemblies, Amir Azadi

Doctoral Dissertations

In this dissertation we study the emergent patterns of multi-dislocation ground states in two geometrically related classes of frustrated assemblies, twisted filament bundles and crystalline spherical cap. We discuss the fundamental role played by characteristic patterns of dislocations in restructuring the ordered phase of theses geometrically frustrated systems in the presence of external stresses. Our analysis on the formation of grain boundary scars leads to universal predictions for the features of defect patterns and their underlying energetic principles.


Geometry And Thermodynamics Of Filament Bundles, Isaac Bruss Nov 2015

Geometry And Thermodynamics Of Filament Bundles, Isaac Bruss

Doctoral Dissertations

In this dissertation I present a study of the geometry and energetics of bundles composed of flexible cohesive filaments. This is a general class of materials, both biological and artificial, existing across many length scales. The aim of this thesis is to investigate the interdependence between the 2D organization of filaments in a bundle’s cross section, and the 3D structure, with an emphasis on the twisting mode of deformation. First we present a model of filament contacts and interactions, which we employ in numerical simulations to study the connection between the ground state energies of constant-pitch bundles and their interior …


Mechanics Of Helical And Fabric-Like Mesostructures From Polymer-Nanoparticle Hybrids, Jonathan T. Pham Aug 2015

Mechanics Of Helical And Fabric-Like Mesostructures From Polymer-Nanoparticle Hybrids, Jonathan T. Pham

Doctoral Dissertations

Hierarchical structures developed from nanoscale building blocks offer an excellent opportunity to control properties on all length scales, from the molecular level up to the macroscale. Many beautiful examples in Nature have demonstrated the significance of controlling geometry and mechanics on small length scales to control function on an organism-level, shown by the strength of bones, the toughness of a mollusk's shell, or the gecko's ability to climb walls. Inspired by stunning examples in both Nature and common man-made materials and structures, we assemble polymers and inorganic nanoparticles (NPs) with well-defined surface chemistry into long ribbons and fabric-like networks with …