In this thesis, we use the self-consistent field theory (SCFT) to study neutral and charged block copolymer melts and blends in thin films and bulk. We showcase the utility of the SCFT by applying it to a number of different model systems. In our first study, we examined the elastic properties of multi-component bilayer membranes composed of amphiphilic AB/ED diblock copolymers. We focused on the effects of chain architecture and interactions between the amphiphilic molecules on the line tension or edge energy of a membrane pore. We discovered a direct relationship between the effective volume of the amphiphilic molecules, which is dictated by their architecture, and the line tension. We found that the addition of cone-shaped molecules to the membrane results in a decrease in the line tension. The opposite effect is seen for inverse cone-shaped amphiphiles, where an increase in their concentration results in an increase of the line tension. Studies two and three fall under the theme of directed self assembly of block copolymer thin films. First we examined the effects of ion concentration on the strength of the external electric field required to reori- ent lamellar domains from the parallel to the perpendicular orientation. The change in the critical electric field is found to be dependent on whether the neutral or charged polymer species is favoured by the top and bottom surfaces. In the second study, we examined the mechanism of using the entropic effect to direct the self assembly of micro domains in star block copolymer thin films. We control the architecture of star block copolymers by varying the number of arms, ranging from a linear chain with 1-arm to 4-arm star block copolymers. Using both experiments and SCFT, we showed that the entropic effect is enhanced in star block copolymer blends with greater number of arms. Furthermore, we showed that the entropic effect can be used to direct the self assembly of micro domains perpendicular to the substrate. In our last study, we examined the unbinding transition of the α-BN phase in pentablock terpolymer/ homopolymer blends. We constructed a phase diagram of the system as a function of homopolymer con- centration. We discovered that the unbinding transition is preempted by the macrophase separation of the blends into block copolymer rich/ homopolymer rich domains. The results presented in this thesis help advance our understanding of various properties of polymeric systems, such as the elastic properties of multi-component membranes, directed self assembly in block copolymer thin films and the phase behaviour of block copolymers in bulk. / Thesis / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

In this project, the sensitivity of the phase behaviour of AB diblock copolymers to the addition a single C-monomer is investigated using self-consistent mean-field theory. The reference diblock copolymers are composed of the minority A block with N_A = 12 monomers and the majority B block with N_B monomers. The blocks are mutually repulsive and their interaction is characterised by χ_{ij} and acts over range σ_{ij}, where i and j represent the monomer species. When a C-monomer is added to the junction of the diblock copolymers, we observe a notable shift of the phase boundaries to the larger NB and smaller χ_{AB}. The shift to larger NB is due to an increased polymer stretching. When the C-monomers is nearly-neutral, the shift does not strongly depend on the interaction strength. Similarly, the shift is not visibly affected by changing σ_{AC} and σ_{BC}. However, when the the strength of the interaction is selective such that χ_{AC} = χ_{AB} + α and χ_{BC} = χ_{AB} − α, the shift size decreases with increasing α. Conversely, when the selective C-monomer is added to the majority end, the phase boundaries are shifted to the smaller N_B, with the smallest α giving the largest shift. The shifts can be generically understood to be cause by the interplay between the changes in the interfacial tension and polymer stretching due to the C-monomer. These results demonstrate sensitivity of phase behaviour of AB diblock copolymers to the addition of a C-monomer and may provide a useful link between experiment and theory. / Thesis / Master of Science (MSc)

O gás de Bose carregado foi estudado em duas e três dimensões, sendo que no caso bidimensional foram considerados dois tipos distintos de interação: l/r e ln(r). Aplicamos a esses sistemas o método do campo auto-consistente que leva em consideração a interação de curto alcance entre os bosons através de uma correção de campo local. Por meio de cálculos numéricos auto-consistentes determinamos o fator de estrutura S(&#8594k) em um amplo intervalo de densidades. A partir de S(&#8594k) obtivemos a função de correlação dos pares, a energia do estado fundamental que é essencialmente a energia de correlação, a pressão do gás e o espectro de excitações elementares. Calculamos ainda a densidade de blindagem induzida por uma impureza carregada fixada no gás. No limite de altas densidades nossos cálculos reproduzem os resultados da teoria de perturbação de Bogoliubov. Na região de densidades intermediárias em que os sistemas são fortemente correlacionados nossos resultados apresentam uma boa concordância com cálculos baseados na aproximação de HNC e no método de Monte Carlo. Nossos resultados são em várias situações confrontados com os de RPA demonstrando que o método que utilizamos é muito mais adequado para tratar o sistema. Os sistemas bidimensionais mostraram-se mais correlacionados que o tridimensional, sendo que o gás com interação l/r é mais correlacionado que o logarítmico a altas densidades, mas na região de densidades baixas essa situação se inverte. Finalmente calculamos as funções termodinâmicas dos sistemas bi e tridimensionais a temperaturas finitas próximas do zero absoluto baseando-nos nos espectros de excitação do gás a temperatura zero. / The two and three-dimensional charged Bose gas have been studied. In the bidimensional case two different types of interaction were considered: l/r and ln(r).We have applied to these systems the self-consistent-field method, which takes into account the short range correlations between the bosons through a local-field correction. By using self-consistent numerical calculations we determinate the structure factor S(&#8594k) in a wide range of densities. From S(&#8594k) we obtained the pair-correlation function, the ground-state energy, the pressure of the gas and the spectrum of elementary excitations. In addition we calculated the screening density induced by a fixed charged impurity. In the high-density limit our calculations reproduce the results given by Bogoliubov\'s perturbation theory. In the intermediate-density region, corresponding to the strongly coupled systems, our results are in very good agreement with calculations based on HNC approximation as well as Monte Carlo method. Our results are compared in several situations with RPA results showing that the self-consistent method is much more accurate. The two-dimensional systems showed to be more correlated than the three-dimensional one; the gas with interaction l/r is also more correlated than the logarithmic one at high densities, but it begins to be less correlated than this one in the low-density region. Finally we calculated the thermodynamic functions of the two and three-dimensional systems at finite temperatures near absolute zero, based upon the gas excitation spectra at zero temperature.

This research focuses on the modeling of dendrimer molecules for their application as delivery vectors within drug and gene therapy systems. We examine how the architecture and composition of dendrimers affect their drug and gene binding efficacies along with their interactions with anionic bilayers. We specifically focus on how the weakly basic nature of dendrimer monomers and the addition of neutral grafts to dendrimer surface groups affect their interactions with drugs, linear polyelectrolytes, and bilayers. By using polymer self-consistent field theory (SCFT) to model such systems, we develop a computationally efficient means to provide physical insights into these systems, which are intended to guide dendrimer design for delivery applications.We study the conformational properties of weakly basic (annealed) polyelectrolyte dendrimers by developing a SCFT model that explicitly accounts for the acid-base equilibrium reaction of the weakly basic monomers. We specifically focus on the role of local counterion concentration upon the charge and conformations of the annealed polyelectrolyte dendrimers. We compare our results to existing polymer scaling theories and develop a strong stretching theory for the dendrimer molecules.We extend the previous study to model the interactions between weakly basic dendrimers and weakly acidic, hydrophobic drug molecules. We specifically examine the effects of excluded volume, electrostatic, and enthalpic interactions on the binding efficacies between dendrimers and drugs under a variety of dendrimer generations, solution pOH conditions, drug sizes, and Bjerrum length values.We study the role of neutral dendrimer grafts on the conformations and drug binding efficacies of dendrimers. We then elucidate how the observed conformational changes affect the charge of the dendrimers. Furthermore, we examine how the presence of grafts affects the steric, electrostatic, and hydrophobic interactions between the drugs and dendrimers under a variety of solution conditions. We compare our results with the binding efficacies observed for non-grafted dendrimers to delineate the conditions under which the grafted dendrimers are better suited as drug hosts.We include semi-flexible, anionic linear polyelectrolyte (LPE) molecules in our grafted dendrimer SCFT framework to model the interactions between dendrimers and negatively charged genetic materials. Specifically, we examine how neutral dendrimer grafts, LPE stiffness, and solution pOH affect the interactions between dendrimers and LPEs. We then use our SCFT potential fields as input into Monte Carlo simulations in order to determine the dendrimer-LPE potentials of mean force and the resulting loop and tail statistics of the dendrimer-adsorbed LPE chains.We incorporate a negatively charged bilayer into our grafted dendrimer SCFT framework to model dendrimer interactions with a cellular membrane. We specifically examine the role of dendrimer grafting length, solution pH, and membrane tension on such interactions. By comparing our results with SCFT calculations of fixed dendrimer conformations and hard sphere nanoparticles in the presence of membranes, we delineate the role of dendrimer flexibility and porosity on the interactions between dendrimers and anionic bilayers. / text

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Washington, 2006. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (p. 114-121).

This thesis presents work done on the calculation of the effects of anharmonic nuclear motion on the properties of solid materials from first principles. Such anharmonic effects can be significant in many cases. A vibrational self-consistent field (VSCF) method is used as the basis for these calculations, which is then improved and applied to a variety of solid state systems. Firstly, work done to improve the efficiency of the VSCF method is presented. The standard VSCF method involves using density functional theory (DFT) to map the Born-Oppenheimer (BO) energy surface that the nuclei move in, a computationally expensive process. It is shown that the accurate forces available in plane-wave basis DFT can be used to help map the BO surface more accurately and reduce the computational cost. This improved VSCF+f method is tested on molecular and solid hydrogen, as well as lithium and zirconium, and is found to give a speed-up of up to 40%. The VSCF method is then applied to two different systems of physical interest. It is first applied to the case of the neutral vacancy in diamond, in order to resolve a known discrepancy between harmonic ab initio calculations and experiment -- the former predict a static Jahn-Teller distortion, whilst the latter leads to a dynamic Jahn-Teller effect. By including anharmonic corrections to the energy and nuclear wavefunction, we show that the inclusion of these effects results in agreement between first-principles calculations and experiment for the first time. Lastly, the VSCF method is applied to barium titanate, a prototypical ferroelectric material which undergoes a series of phase transitions from around 400 K downwards. The nature of these phase transitions is still unclear, and understanding them is an active area of research. We describe the physics of the phase transitions of barium titanate, including both anharmonicity and the effect of polarisation caused by long wavelength vibrations, to help understand the important physics from first principles.

O gás de Bose carregado foi estudado em duas e três dimensões, sendo que no caso bidimensional foram considerados dois tipos distintos de interação: l/r e ln(r). Aplicamos a esses sistemas o método do campo auto-consistente que leva em consideração a interação de curto alcance entre os bosons através de uma correção de campo local. Por meio de cálculos numéricos auto-consistentes determinamos o fator de estrutura S(&#8594k) em um amplo intervalo de densidades. A partir de S(&#8594k) obtivemos a função de correlação dos pares, a energia do estado fundamental que é essencialmente a energia de correlação, a pressão do gás e o espectro de excitações elementares. Calculamos ainda a densidade de blindagem induzida por uma impureza carregada fixada no gás. No limite de altas densidades nossos cálculos reproduzem os resultados da teoria de perturbação de Bogoliubov. Na região de densidades intermediárias em que os sistemas são fortemente correlacionados nossos resultados apresentam uma boa concordância com cálculos baseados na aproximação de HNC e no método de Monte Carlo. Nossos resultados são em várias situações confrontados com os de RPA demonstrando que o método que utilizamos é muito mais adequado para tratar o sistema. Os sistemas bidimensionais mostraram-se mais correlacionados que o tridimensional, sendo que o gás com interação l/r é mais correlacionado que o logarítmico a altas densidades, mas na região de densidades baixas essa situação se inverte. Finalmente calculamos as funções termodinâmicas dos sistemas bi e tridimensionais a temperaturas finitas próximas do zero absoluto baseando-nos nos espectros de excitação do gás a temperatura zero. / The two and three-dimensional charged Bose gas have been studied. In the bidimensional case two different types of interaction were considered: l/r and ln(r).We have applied to these systems the self-consistent-field method, which takes into account the short range correlations between the bosons through a local-field correction. By using self-consistent numerical calculations we determinate the structure factor S(&#8594k) in a wide range of densities. From S(&#8594k) we obtained the pair-correlation function, the ground-state energy, the pressure of the gas and the spectrum of elementary excitations. In addition we calculated the screening density induced by a fixed charged impurity. In the high-density limit our calculations reproduce the results given by Bogoliubov\'s perturbation theory. In the intermediate-density region, corresponding to the strongly coupled systems, our results are in very good agreement with calculations based on HNC approximation as well as Monte Carlo method. Our results are compared in several situations with RPA results showing that the self-consistent method is much more accurate. The two-dimensional systems showed to be more correlated than the three-dimensional one; the gas with interaction l/r is also more correlated than the logarithmic one at high densities, but it begins to be less correlated than this one in the low-density region. Finally we calculated the thermodynamic functions of the two and three-dimensional systems at finite temperatures near absolute zero, based upon the gas excitation spectra at zero temperature.

No description available.

The adsorption of cationic and zwitterionic surfactants is studied in aqueous electrolyte solutions. A Maxwell relation is applied to Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) data to obtain changes in surfactant adsorption as a function of the separation between two glass surfaces. In addition, self-consistent field theory (SCF) is used to calculate the adsorption profiles and interaction energies when two solid surfaces are brought into close proximity. Addition of surfactant is shown to affect the surface forces when lateral surfactant chain interactions are significant. The surfactant adsorbs and desorbs in response to over-lapping electric double-layers, with the adsorption being affected at larger solid-solid separations when the double-layer force is longer ranged. Furthermore, elimination off the surface charge or net surfactant charge eliminates adsorption with decreased solid-solid separation. The magnitude of the changes in surfactant adsorption at decreased separations is shown to scale with the chain length of the surfactant. Surfactant adsorption exceeds that required to regulate the surface charge according to the constant potential boundary condition in Poisson-Boltzmann theory. An equation of state including short-ranged (contact) tail interactions is proposed to describe both the adsorption of surfactant and the surface forces at small separations, where the double-layers overlap. Furthermore, SCF calculations show confinement-induced phase transitions when the surfactant layers on opposite surfaces merge. These phase transitions lead to further surfactant adsorption and a corresponding attractive force. / Ph. D.

The research presented in this thesis was carried out as part of a collaboration between the groups of Dr Tanja van Mourik at the School of Chemistry, University of St Andrews and Professor Jonathan Tennyson at the Department of Physics and Astronomy at University College London. This thesis presents State-Averaged Complete Active Space Self Consistent Field (SA-CASSCF) calculations on nucleic acid bases, deoxyribose and phosphoric acid H₃PO₄). In the case of uracil, for comparison, Multireference Configuration Interaction calculations were also performed. The SA-CASSCF orbitals were subsequently used in R-matrix electron scattering calculations using the close-coupling model. Of major importance for obtaining accurate SA-CASSCF results is the choice of the active space and the number of calculated states. Properties such as the electronic energy, number of configurations, excitation energy and dipole moment were considered in the choice of active space. Electron-collision calculations were performed on two of the most stable isomers of phosphoric acid, a weakly dipolar form with all OH groups pointing up and a strongly dipolar form where one OH group points down. A broad shape resonance at about 7 eV was found for both isomers. Ten-state close-coupling calculations suggest the presence of narrow, Feshbach resonances in a similar energy region. Elastic and electronically inelastic cross sections were calculated for both isomers. The R-matrix calculations on uracil were done by the group from UCL. R-matrix calculations are currently being done on guanine. Scattering calculations on the other DNA bases will be performed in the near future.