FABRIZIO CAMERIN

PhD Graduate

PhD program:: XXXIII



Thesis title: Microgels at interfaces: from single-particle modeling to collective behavior

Colloids are micro- or nano-sized particles that are increasingly used as model system to address fundamental issues in soft matter science. Microgels in particular are characterized by a crosslinked polymer network which provide them an internal elasticity and deformability. Their colloid-polymer duality clearly emerges when such particles are adsorbed at fluid-fluid interfaces, where microgels retain a so-called fried-egg shape. Despite the great theoretical and applicative interest for this system, there are several aspects that still need to be explored and, among all, the connection between the properties and conformation of a single particle and their collective behavior. In this Thesis, we aim to shed light on this aspect complementing molecular dynamics simulations and experiments. We will move from the single-particle microgel modeling in explicit solvent in the bulk, building on a coarse-grained model for microgels which provide a realistic description of the internal polymeric architecture and swelling behavior. Once this is established, we transfer this knowledge to correctly mimic the effect of the surface tension, in order to reproduce the correct extended conformation of the particle at the interface. Furthermore, by computing their effective interaction potential, we demonstrate that microgels adsorbed at an interface behave like 2D elastic particles, following the two-dimensional Hertzian theory. The analysis of the dynamical properties evidences the presence of multiple reentrant dynamics phenomena where, by continuously increasing the particle density, microgels first arrest and then refluidify due to the high penetrability of their extended coronas. In particular, we prove that this behavior can be found for small and loosely crosslinked microgels in a range of experimentally accessible conditions. A final section is dedicated to the analysis of hollow microgels that, given their topology, adopt a single particle conformation at the interface which is radically different from that of standard microgels.

Research products

  • 11573/1268453 - 2016 - Fluctuating systems under cyclic perturbations: relation between energy dissipation and intrinsic relaxation processes (01a Articolo in rivista)
    CAMERIN, FABRIZIO
  • 11573/1268442 - 2019 - Microgels Adsorbed at Liquid-Liquid Interfaces: A Joint Numerical and Experimental Study (01a Articolo in rivista)
    CAMERIN, FABRIZIO; ROVIGATTI, LORENZO; GNAN, NICOLETTA; ZACCARELLI, EMANUELA
  • 11573/1282931 - 2019 - Microgels adsorbed at liquid-liquid interfaces: simulations and experiments (04d Abstract in atti di convegno)
    CAMERIN, FABRIZIO
  • 11573/1282967 - 2017 - The dynamical susceptibility in the Lorentz model (04d Abstract in atti di convegno)
    CAMERIN, FABRIZIO
  • 11573/1282981 - 2018 - In silico modelling of microgels at interfaces (04f Poster)
    CAMERIN, FABRIZIO
  • 11573/1282934 - 2018 - Modelling microgels at interfaces (04d Abstract in atti di convegno)
    CAMERIN, FABRIZIO
  • 11573/1282975 - 2018 - In silico modelling of microgels at interfaces (04f Poster)
    CAMERIN, FABRIZIO
  • 11573/1325308 - 2019 - Numerical insights on ionic microgels. Structure and swelling behaviour (01a Articolo in rivista)
    DEL MONTE, GIOVANNI; CAMERIN, FABRIZIO; ROVIGATTI, LORENZO; GNAN, NICOLETTA; ZACCARELLI, EMANUELA
  • 11573/1331780 - 2019 - Modeling Microgels with a Controlled Structure across the Volume Phase Transition (01a Articolo in rivista)
    CAMERIN, FABRIZIO; GNAN, NICOLETTA; ROVIGATTI, LORENZO; ZACCARELLI, EMANUELA
  • 11573/1396075 - 2020 - Tuning the rheological behavior of colloidal gels through competing interactions (01a Articolo in rivista)
    CAMERIN, FABRIZIO
  • 11573/1435491 - 2020 - Microgels at interfaces behave as 2D elastic particles featuring reentrant dynamics (01a Articolo in rivista)
    CAMERIN, FABRIZIO; ROVIGATTI, LORENZO
  • 11573/1540884 - 2021 - Microgels at interfaces: from single-particle modeling to collective behavior (07a Tesi di Dottorato)
    CAMERIN, FABRIZIO
  • 11573/1567490 - 2021 - Effect of Internal Architecture on the Assembly of Soft Particles at Fluid Interfaces (01a Articolo in rivista)
    VIALETTO, JACOPO; CAMERIN, FABRIZIO; ROVIGATTI, LORENZO; ZACCARELLI, EMANUELA
  • 11573/1573787 - 2021 - Two-step deswelling in the Volume Phase Transition of thermoresponsive microgels (01a Articolo in rivista)
    DEL MONTE, GIOVANNI; TRUZZOLILLO, DOMENICO; CAMERIN, FABRIZIO; GNAN, NICOLETTA; ROVIGATTI, LORENZO; SENNATO, SIMONA; ZACCARELLI, EMANUELA
  • 11573/1616554 - 2022 - Link between Morphology, Structure, and Interactions of Composite Microgels (01a Articolo in rivista)
    RIVAS BARBOSA, RODRIGO; CAMERIN, FABRIZIO; ZACCARELLI, EMANUELA
  • 11573/1615723 - 2021 - Dynamical properties of different models of elastic polymer rings: Confirming the link between deformation and fragility (01a Articolo in rivista)
    GNAN, NICOLETTA; CAMERIN, FABRIZIO; DEL MONTE, GIOVANNI; ZACCARELLI, EMANUELA
  • 11573/1282942 - 2018 - In silico modelling of microgels in bulk and at interfaces (04d Abstract in atti di convegno)
    CAMERIN, FABRIZIO
  • 11573/1617148 - 2022 - Soft colloids for complex interfacial assemblies (01a Articolo in rivista)
    CAMERIN, FABRIZIO; ZACCARELLI, EMANUELA
  • 11573/1163828 - 2018 - Modelling realistic microgels in an explicit solvent (01a Articolo in rivista)
    CAMERIN, FABRIZIO; GNAN, NICOLETTA; ROVIGATTI, LORENZO; ZACCARELLI, EMANUELA
  • 11573/1282916 - 2019 - Microgels adsorbed at liquid-liquid interfaces: insights from realistic modeling and experiments (04d Abstract in atti di convegno)
    CAMERIN, FABRIZIO
  • 11573/1475363 - 2020 - Charge affinity and solvent effects in numerical simulations of ionic microgels (01a Articolo in rivista)
    DEL MONTE, GIOVANNI; CAMERIN, FABRIZIO; GNAN, NICOLETTA; ROVIGATTI, LORENZO; ZACCARELLI, EMANUELA

© Università degli Studi di Roma "La Sapienza" - Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Roma