Theoretical study of the surface properties of poly(dimethylsiloxane) and poly(tetrafluoroethylene)

Abstract

Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) and poly(tetrafluoroethylene) (PTFE) were carried out to determine their surface properties and energies. This study helps to gain better insight into the molecular modeling of PDMS and PTFE, in particular how different approaches affect calculations of surface energy. Current experimental and theoretical data were used to further understand the surface properties of PDMS and PTFE as well as to validate and verify results obtained from the combination of density functional theory (DFT) calculations (including periodic boundary conditions) and MD simulations. Detailed analysis of the structure and electronic properties (by calculation of the projected density of states) of the bulk and surface models of PDMS and PTFE was performed. The sensitivity of the surface energy calculation of these two polymers to the chemistry and model preparation was indicated. The balance between the molecular density, weight (which also reflects bond orientation in the surface region), bond flexibility, and intramolecular interactions including bond stretching was revealed to govern the results obtained. In modeling, the structural organization of polymer near a given surface (types and number of end groups and broken bonds due to application of different cut offs of the periodic structure) also significantly affects the final results. Besides the structural differences, certain simulation parameters, such the DFT functionals and simulation boxes utilized, play an important role in determining surface energy. The models used here were shown to be sufficient due to their good agreement with experimental and other theoretical data related to surface properties and surface energies.