Pre Peak Research Articles

Supramolecular structures of self-assembled oligomers under confinement.

We study the molecular origin of a prepeak (PP) observed at low q values in the structure factors of three oligomers in a bulk (poly(mercaptopropyl)methylsiloxane, PMMS, poly(methylmercaptopropyl)-grafted-hexylmethacrylate, PMMS-g-HMA, and poly(methylphenyl)siloxane, PMPS) in order to understand the lowering of the PP intensity detected for oligomers confined in cylindrical pores with low diameter. For this purpose, we use a combination of X-ray diffraction measurements and coarse-grained bead-spring molecular dynamics simulations. Our molecular modelling demonstrated that the planarity of the pendant groups triggers the self-association of oligomers into nanoaggregates. However, the formation of oligomeric nanodomains is not sufficient for building-up the PP. The latter requires spatial disturbance in the arrangement of the side groups of oligomers within clusters. Importantly, our numerical analysis revealed that the increasing degree of the confinement of oligomers limits their aggregation and consequently lowers the amplitude of the PP observed in the experimental data.

Non-monotonic influence of a magnetic field on the electrochemical behavior of Fe78Si9B13 glassy alloy in NaOH and NaCl solutions

Abstract The corrosion behavior and microstructure of Fe78Si9B13 glassy alloy in NaOH and NaCl solutions under a 0.02-T magnetic field were investigated through electrochemical testing and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The current-density prepeak (PP) in the anodic polarization curves in low-concentration NaOH solutions (classified as type I) tends to disappear when the NaOH concentration is increased to 0.4 mol/L and the magnetic field is applied. Under the magnetic field, the height of the second current-density peak is increased in low-concentration NaOH solutions (type I) but decreased in high-concentration NaOH solutions (type II). The non-monotonic effect of the magnetic field was similarly observed in the case of polarization curves of samples measured in NaCl solutions. Ring-like corroded patterns and round pits are easily formed under the magnetic field in NaOH and NaCl solutions. These experimental results were discussed in terms of the magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) effect.