Molecular view of polymer flow into a strongly attractive slit

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Abstract
We present molecular dynamics simulations of the flow of macromolecules from a bulk melt into a slit of nanometer dimension with strongly attracting walls. Such flow is central to the formation of polymer-layered silicate nanocomposites by direct melt intercalation. In this process, polymer molecules flow from a melt into the galleries between the sheets that compose a mica-type layered silicate. We present a systematic study of the effects of polymer molecular weight and polymer-surface interactions on the flow dynamics.