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The controlled electrophoretic deposition of polystyrene/divinyl/benzene (PS/DVB) star polymer films from a colloidal suspension is demonstrated. The nanostructured films could be utilized in optical and biological device applications.

The effect of solvent size on the depletion interaction between polymer coils and a hard wall was investigated by the real-space version of self-consistent field theory (SCFT). The results found through analysis of the respective free energies of polymer coils and solvent molecules revealed an increment in the transnational entropy of the solvent is the key to strengthening the depletion interaction.

The theory of solvatochromism based on a dielectric continuum description of the solvent and the classical Onsager cavity model was investigated and was extended to include the effect of an added 1:1 salt. The equations differed markedly for salt-free case, from several others reported in the literature dealing with the pure solvent effect and the discrepancy was clarified.

Three-dimensional dissipative particle dynamics (DPD) simulations are used for examining the phase separation dynamics of semidilute polymer solutions with different polymer chain length and stiffness. The studies have shown that the polymer solution with stiffer and longer chains needed a larger quench depth to initiate the phase separation and has caused the delay in crossover of the coarsening mechanism from diffusion to flow.

Random-climb models enable undergraduate chemistry students to visualize polymer molecules, quantify their configurational properties, and relate molecular structure to a variety of physical properties. The model could serve as an introduction to more elaborate models of polymer molecules and could help in learning topics such as lattice models of polymer solutions.

The observation of fluorescence with opposite polarizations from films and solutions of the same chiral polymer has exemplified the dynamic transfer of organization and functional properties from solution to the solid film. This demonstration magnifies the importance of processing effects on a polymer film's functional-properties.

The anisotropic photonic gratings in photocross-linkable polymer liquid crystals irradiated with three mutually coherent beams are investigated. Atomic force microscopy has revealed that topological patterns of gratings formed according to interference patterns of the three beams and diffraction efficiencies of recorded gratings have depended on polarization direction of the linearly polarized probe beam.

The phase separation of a simple binary mixture of incompatible linear polymers in solution is investigated using an extension of the sedimentation equilibrium method, whereby the osmotic pressure of the mixture is extracted from the density profiles of the inhomogeneous mixture in a gravitational field. In Monte Carlo simulations the field can be tuned to induce significant inhomogeneity, while keeping the density profiles sufficiently smooth for the macroscopic condition of hydrostatic equilibrium to remain applicable.

A lattice mean-field theory for flexible polymers in solution is used to model the formation of a capillary phase in segregating mixed polymer solutions confined between two planar walls. In systems where the two polymer components display different preference for the wall, the preference being either of energetic or entropic origin, a capillary-induced phase separation (CIPS) was found to appear.

The picosecond time-resolved emission spectroscopy are used in an aqueous solution of poly(vinylpyrrolidone) (PVP) and in polymer-surfactant aggregate consisting of PVP and sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) to study the solvation dynamics of 2,6-p-toluidinonaphthalene sulfonate (TNS). The results revealed that the solvation dynamics of TNS in 0.75 wt percent aqueous solution of PVP are biexponential with a major component (85%) of 60 ps and slower one of 800 ps (15%)