Publications

2024

Thoms, E.; Li. C. & Napolitano, S.*, Tracing the slow Arrhenius process deep in the glassy state–quantitative evaluation of the dielectric relaxation of bulk samples and thin polymer films in the temperature domain, The Journal of Chemical Physics 2024, 160, 034901

Caporaletti, F.* & Napolitano, S.*, The slow Arrhenius process in small organic molecules, Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics 2024, 26, 745

 

2023

Caporaletti, F.*, Devitrification caught on film, Nature Physics 2023, 19, 1394

Thoms, E. & Napolitano, S.*, Enthalpy-entropy compensation in the slow Arrhenius process, The Journal of Chemical Physics 2023, 159, 161103

Duivenvoorden, J. R.*; Caporaletti, F.; Woutersen, S.; Keune, K.; Hermans, J. J Nanoconfined Water Clusters in Zinc White Oil Paint. J. Phys. Chem. C 2023, 127, 19269 

Yang, Y.; Xu, Q.; Jin, T.; Wang, X.; Napolitano,S.*; Zuo, B.*, Relaxations of Entropically Stressed Polymer Glasses, Macromolecules 2023, 56, 5924−5931

Schmidt, R. W.; Giubertoni*, G.; Caporaletti, F.; Kolpakov, P.; Shahidzadeh, N.; Ariese, F.; Woutersen, S.* Raman Diffusion-Ordered Spectroscopy, J. Phys. Chem. A  2023 127, 36, 7638

Yang, Y.; Tian, H.; Napolitano, S.*; Zuo, B.*, Crystallization in thin films of polymer glasses: The role of free surfaces, solid interfaces and their competition, Progress in Polymer Science 2023, 144, 1011725

Martinelli, A.*; Caporaletti, F.; Dallari, F.: Sprung, M.;  Westermeier, F.; Baldi, G.; Monaco, G.* Reaching the Yield Point of a Glass During X-Ray Irradiation Phys. Rev. X 2023 13, 041031

Wang, B.; Sanviti, M.; Alegria, Á. and Napolitano, S.*, Molecular Mobility of Polymers at the Melting Transition, ACS Macro Letters 2023, 12, 389-394

Sun, P.;  Caporaletti, F. et al., Observation of long-range anisotropy in a vapor-deposited metallic glass Materialia 2023, 30, 101847

Wang, M.;  Zhang, C.; Liu, G.*; Napolitano. S.*; Wang, D., Physical Aging of Polystyrene Confined in Anodic Aluminum Oxide Nanopores, Langmuir 2023 393471–3480

 

2022

Mannini, G.*; Benali, S.; Mathew, A; Napolitano. S.; Raquez, J.-M., Goole, J. Paliperidone palmitate as model of heat-sensitive drug for long-acting 3D printing application, International Journal of Pharmaceutics 2022, 618, 121662

Song, Z.; Rodríguez-Tinoco; C.Mathew, A. and Napolitano. S.*, Fast equilibration mechanisms in disordered materials mediated by slow liquid dynamics, Science Advances 2022 8, eabm7154

Song, Z.; White, R., D.; Lipson J. E. G. and Napolitano, S.*, Experimental and Modeling Comparison of the Dynamics of Capped 2 and Freestanding Poly(2-chlorostyrene) Films, ACS Macro Letters 2022, 11, 91-95

Abate, A.A.; D. Cangialosi* and Napolitano S.*, High Throughput Optimization Procedure to Charachterize Vitrification Kinetics, Thermochimica Acta 2022, 707 179084

 

2021

Liu, J.*;  Liu, G.; Song, Z.; Kaltenegger, M;  Silva de Moraes, L.; Gopi, E.;  Napolitano, S. and Geerts, Y. H., Memory Effect and Crystallization of (R, S)‑2-Chloromandelic Acid 2 Glass, The Journal of Physical Chemistry B 2021, 125, 13339–13347 

Nieto Simavilla, D.;  Abate, A.A.; Liu, J., Geerts, Y.H.; Losada-Peréz, P. and Napolitano S.*, 1D-Confinement Inhibits the Anomaly in Secondary Relaxation of a Fluorinated Polymer, ACS Macro Letters 2021, 10, 649

Wang, B.; Mathew, A. and Napolitano. S.*, Temperature and Thickness Dependence of the Time Scale of Crystallization of Polymers under 1D Confinement, ACS Macro Letters 2021, 10, 476

 

2020

Dinelli, F.*; Pingue, P.; Signore, G.; Napolitano, S., Morphological and Elastic Transition of Polystyrene Adsorbed Layers on Silicon Oxide, Journal of Microscopy 2020, 280, 3, 280

Monnier, X.; Napolitano, S.* & Cangialosi D.*, Direct observation of desorption of a melt of long polymer chains, Nature Communications 2020, 11, 4354

            in the news

Vanroy, B.; Wübbenhorst, M.; Napolitano, S.*;Remotely Controlling the Crystallization of Thin Polymer Coatings, Macromolecules 2020, 53,  4882-4888

Napolitano, S.*, Irreversible adsorption of polymer melts and nanoconfinement effects, Soft Matter  2020, 16, 5348-5365

Rodríguez-Tinoco, C.;  Nieto S. D., Priestley, R.D.; Wübbenhorst, M and Napolitano, S.*,Density of Obstacles Affects Diffusion in Adsorbed Polymer Layers, ACS Macro Letters 2020, 9, 318–322

Napolitano, S.*;Topical Issue on Dielectric Spectroscopy Applied to Soft Matter (editorial), EPJE 2020, 43: 4

 Panagopoulo, A.; Rodríguez-Tinoco, C.; White, R. P.; Lipson, J.E.G. and Napolitano, S.,* Substrate Roughness Speeds Up Segmental Dynamics of Thin Polymer Films, Physical Review Letters 2020, 124, 027802

              in the news

 

2019

Chandran, S.*; Baschnagel, J.; Cangialosi. D.; Fukao, K. Glynos. E.; Janssen, L. C. M.; Müller, M.; Muthukumar, M.;  Steiner, U.; Xu, J.;  Napolitano, S.* and Reiter, G.* Processing Pathways Decide Polymer Properties at the Molecular Level, Macromolecules 2019, 52, 7146-7156

Debot, A.; Tripathi, P. and Napolitano, S.* Solution filtering affects the glassy dynamics of spincoated thin films of poly(4-chlorostyrene) European Physical Journal E 2019, 42 102 

Adrjanowicz, K.*; Winkler, R.; Dzienia, A.; Paluch, M.; Napolitano, S., Connecting 1D and 2D Confined Polymer Dynamics to its Bulk Behavior via Density Scaling ACS Macro Lett. 2019, 8, 3, 304-309

Waeytens, J.; Doneux, T., and Napolitano, S.*; Evaluating mechanical properties of polymers at the nanoscale level via AFM-IR, ACS Applied Polymer Materials 2019, 1, 3

Debot, A.; White, R.; Lipson, J. and Napolitano, S.*;Experimental Test of the Cooperative Free Volume Rate Model under 1D Confinement: The Interplay of Free Volume, Temperature, and Polymer Film Thickness in Driving Segmental Mobility, ACS Macro Letters 2019, 8, 41

 

2018

Nieto S., D..; Huang, W.; Housmans, C.; Sferrazza, M. and Napolitano, S.*;Taming the strength of interfacial interactions via nanoconfinement, ACS Central Science 2018, 4, 775

                  in the news

Wojciech, O.*; Tempelman, K.; Napolitano, S. and Benes, N. E.; Evidence of a Transition Layer between the Free Surface and the Bulk J Phys Chem Lett 2018, 9, 1195-1199

 

2017

Madkour, S.; Szymoniak, P; Hertwig, A.; Heidari, M.; von Klitzing, R.; Napolitano, S.; Sferrazza, M. and Schönhals A.*; Decoupling of Dynamic and Thermal Glass Transition in Thin Films of a PVME/PS Blend ACS Macro Lett. 2017, 6, 1156-1161

Nieto S., D.; Huang, W.; Vandestrick, P.; Ryckaert, J.-P.; Sferrazza, M and Napolitano, S.*; Mechanisms of Polymer Adsorption onto Solid Substrates, ACS Macro Lett. 2017, 6, 975–979

Panagopoulou, A. & Napolitano, S.*; Irreversible Adsorption Governs the Equilibration of Thin Polymer Films, Physical Review Letters 2017, 119, 9, 097801                                                                                                                                         in the news

Nieto S., D., D.; Panagopoulou, A and Napolitano, S.*; Characterization of Adsorbed Polymer Layers: Preparation, Determination of the Adsorbed Amount and Investigation of the Kinetics of Irreversible Adsorption Macromol. Chem. Phys. 2017, 1700303

Perez-de-Eulate, N. G.;  Sferrazza, M.; Cangialosi, D.; Napolitano, S.*; Irreversible Adsorption Erases the Free Surface Effect on the Tg of Supported Films of Poly(4-tert-butylstyrene), ACS Macro Lett. 20176, 354–358

Sferrazza, M.; Napolitano, S.*; Advances in How irreversible adsorption affects interfacial properties of polymers, Advances in Colloids and Interfacial Science 2017

Braatz, M.-L.; Infantas, L.; Sferrazza, M.; Napolitano S,* Unexpected impact of irreversible adsorption on thermal expansion: adsorbed layers are not that dead, Journal of Chemical Physics 2017, 146, 203304

Napolitano, S.* Staying conductive in the stretch, Science 2017, 335, 24

Jeong, H.; Napolitano, S.; Arnold, C. B. and Priestley R. D.*; Irreversible Adsorption Controls Crystallization in Vapor-Deposited Polymer Thin Films J. Phys. Chem. Lett. 2017, 8, 229–234

Napolitano, S.*; Glynos, E.; Tito, N. B. Glass transition of polymers in bulk, confined geometries, and near interfaces, Reports of Progress in Physics 2017, 80, 036602

 

2016

Jasiurkowska-Delaporte, M.; Napolitano, S.; Leys, J.; …, Glass Transition Dynamics and Crystallization Kinetics in the Smectic Liquid Crystal 4-n-Butyloxybenzylidene-4′-n′-octylaniline (BBOA), The Journal of Physical Chemistry B 2016, 120, 12160

Burroughs, M.; Cangialosi, D.; Napolitano, S.; Priestley, R. D.*, Direct Measurement of Glass Transition Temperature in Exposed and Buried Adsorbed Polymer Nanolayers, Macromolecules 2016, 49, 4647-4655

2015

Napolitano, S.* Caught in the Tube, Physics 2015, 8, 93

Spièce, J.; Martinez-Tong, D.E.; Sferrazza, M.; Nogales, A.; Napolitano, S.*, Are polymers glassier upon confinement?, Sott Matter 2015, 11 6179-6186

Gnecco, E.; Pedraz, P.; Nita, P.; Dinelli, F.; Napolitano, S.; Pingue, P.*, Surface rippling induced by periodic instabilities on a polymer surface, New Journal of Physics 2015, 17, 032001

Priestley, R. D.*; Cangialosi, D.*; Napolitano, S.*, On the Equivalence Between the Thermodynamic and Dynamic Measurements of the Glass Transition in Confined Polymers, Journal of Non-Crystalline Solids 2015, 407, 288-295

Wubbenhorst, M*; Casina, A.; Vanroy, B.; Napolitano, S., Ultrathin polymer films by single molecule deposition, Journal of Non-Crystalline Solids 2015, 407, 270-276

 

2014

Housmans, C.; Sferrazza, M.; Napolitano, S.*; Kinetics of irreversible chain adsorption, Macromolecules 2014, 47, 3390-3393

Martínez-Tong, D. E.*; Vanroy, B.; Wübbenhorst, M.; Nogales, A.; Napolitano, S.* Crystallization of poly(L-lactide) confined in ultrathin films: competition between finite size effects and irreversible chain adsorption, Macromolecules 2014, 47, 2354-2360

Tang, Q.*; Hu, W. and Napolitano, S. Slowing down of accelerated structural relaxation in ultrathin polymer films Physical Review Letters 2014, 112, 148306

 

2013

Napolitano, S.*; Cangialosi, D.*, Interfacial free volume and vitrification: the reduction in Tg in proximity of an adsorbing interface explained by the Free Volume Holes Diffusion model, Macromolecules 2013, 46, 8051–8053

Napolitano, S.*; Capponi, S., Vanroy, B., Glassy dynamics of soft matter under 1D confinement: How irreversible adsorption affects molecular packing, mobility gradients and orientational polarization in thin films, invited COLLOQUIUM, European Physical Journal E 2013, 36, 61

Vanroy, B.; Wübbenhorst, M.; Napolitano, S.*, Crystallization of thin polymer layers confined between two adsorbing walls, ACS Macro Letters 2013, 2, 168-172

 

2012

Capponi, S.; Napolitano, S.*; Wübbenhorst, M., Supercooled liquids with enhanced orientational order, Nature Communications 2012, 3, 1233

Napolitano, S.; D’Acunto, M.; Baschieri, P.; Gnecco, E., Pingue, P.*Ordered Rippling of Polymer Surfaces: Impact of scan pattern and boundary effects, Nanotechnology 2012, 23, 475301

Napolitano, S.*; Rotella, C.; Wübbenhorst, M., Can Thickness and Interfacial Interactions Univocally Determine the Behavior of Polymers Confined at the Nanoscale? ACS Macro Letters 2012, 1, 1189-1193

Yin, H.; Napolitano, S.; Schoenhals, A. Molecular Mobility and Glass Transition of Thin Films of Poly(Bisphenol A Carbonate), Macromolecules 2012, 45 1652-1662

 

2011

Rotella, C.*; Napolitano, S.; Vandendriessche, S.; Valev, V.K.; Verbiest, T.; Larkowska, M.; Kucharski, S.;  Wübbenhorst, M., Adsorption kinetics of ultrathin polymer films in the melt probed by dielectric spectroscopy and second harmonic generation, Langmuir 2011, 27 13533-13538 

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Rotella, C.; Wübbenhorst, M.; Napolitano, S.*, Probing interfacial mobility profiles via the impact of nanoscopic confinement on the strength of the dynamic glass transition, Soft Matter 2011, 7, 5260-5266

Napolitano, S.*; Rotella, C.; Wübbenhorst, M., Is the reduction in tracer diffusivity under nanoscopic confinement related to a frustrated segmental mobility? Macromolecular Rapid Communications 2011, 32, 844-848

Napolitano, S.*; Wübbenhorst, M., The lifetime of the deviations from bulk behavior in polymer confined at the nanoscale, Nature Communications 2011, 2, 260

Monnaie, I.;  Napolitano, S.*; Nies, E.; Wübbenhorst, M., Exploiting interfacial polarization to detect phase transitions in dilute solution: crystallization and melting of P3HT in toluene down to ppm contents, Polymer 2011, 52, 239-242

Meersman, F.; Geukens, B.; Wübbenhorst, M.; Leys, J.; Napolitano, S.; Filinchuk, Y.; Van Assche, G.; Van Mele, B.; Nies, E.*, Dynamics of the Crystal to Plastic Crystal Transition in the Hydrogen Bonded N-(Isopropyl) propionamide, Journal of Physical Chemistry B 2010, 114, 13944–13949

Napolitano, S.*; Wübbenhorst, M., Structural relaxation and dynamic fragility of freely standing polymer films, Polymer 2010, 51, 5309-5312

Rotella, C.; Napolitano, S*.; De Cremer, L.; Koeckelberghs, G.; Wübbenhorst, M., Distribution of segmental mobility in ultrathin polymer films, Macromolecules 2010, 43, 8686-8691

Dimopoulos, A.; Wietor, J.-L.; Wübbenhorst, M.; Napolitano, S.; de With, G.; Benthem, R.; Sijbesma, R.*, Enhanced Mechanical Relaxation below the Glass Transition Temperature in Partially Supramolecular Networks, Macromolecules 2010, 43, 8664-8669

Capponi, S.; Napolitano, S.; Couderc, G.; Behrnd, N.-R.;  Hulliger, J.; Wübbenhorst, M.*, Structural relaxation in nanometer thin layers of glycerol, Journal of Physical Chemistry C 2010, 114, 16696-16699

Reiter,G.*; Napolitano, S.,  Possible origin of the thickness-dependent deviations from bulk properties of ultrathin polymer films, (invited) VIEWPOINT, Journal of Polymer Science, part B: Physics 2010, 24, 2544-2547

Wübbenhorst, M.*; Capponi, S.; Napolitano, S.; Rozanski, S.; Couderc, G.; Behrnd, N.-R.;  Hulliger, J.,  Dynamics in ultrathin liquid films studied by simultaneous  dielectric spectroscopy (DS) and organic molecular beam deposition (OMBD) European Physical Journal – Special Topics 2010, 189, 181-186

Napolitano, S.*; Pilleri, A.; Rolla, P.; Wübbenhorst, M., Unusual deviations from bulk behavior in ultrathin films of poly(tert-butylstyrene): can dead layers induce a reduction of Tg? ACS Nano, 2010, 2, 841-848

Rotella, C.; Napolitano, S.*; Wübbenhorst, M.*, Segmental mobility and glass transition temperature of freely suspended ultrathin polymer membranes Macromolecules, 2009, 42, 1061-1063

Peter, S.; Napolitano, S.; Meyer, H.; Wübbenhorst, M., Baschnagel, J.* Modeling dielectric relaxation in polymer glass simulations: dynamics in the bulk and in supported polymer films Macromolecules, 2008, 41, 7729-7743

Napolitano, S.*; Lupascu, V; Wübbenhorst, M., Temperature dependence of the deviations from bulk behaviour Macromolecules, 2008, 41, 1061-1063

Napolitano, S.*; Wübbenhorst, M., Dielectric signature of a dead layer in ultrathin films of a non-polar polymerJournal of Physical Chemistry B, 2007. 111, 9197-9199

Napolitano, S.*; Wübbenhorst, M., Effect of a reduced mobility layer on the interplay between molecular relaxations and diffusion limited crystallization rate in ultrathin polymer films Journal of Physical Chemistry B, 2007. 111 5575-5580

Napolitano, S.*; Wübbenhorst, M., Monitoring the cold crystallization of poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) via dielectric spectroscopy Journal of Non-Crystalline Solids, 2007 353(47-51) 4357-4361

Napolitano, S.*; Wübbenhorst, M.*, Deviation from bulk behaviour in the cold crystallization kinetics of ultrathin films of poly(3-hydroxybutyrate), PHB Journal of Physics: Condensed Matter, 2007 19 205121

D’Acunto, M.*; Napolitano, S.; Pingue, P.; Giusti, P.; Rolla, P., Fast formation of ripples induced by AFM. A new method for patterning polymers on nanoscale Materials Letters, 2007 61 3305-3309

Prevosto, D.; Napolitano, S.*; Pingue, P.; Capaccioli, S.; Lucchesi, M.,  Investigation of structural relaxation and surface modification of ultrathin films of poly(ethylene terephthalate) European Physical Journal – Special Topics, 2007. 141 193-198

Kessairi, K.; Napolitano, S.; Capaccioli, S.; Rolla, P.; Wübbenhorst, M.*, Molecular dynamics of atactic polypropylene investigated by broadband dielectric spectroscopy Macromolecules, 2007 40(6) 1786-1788

Napolitano, S.; Prevosto, D.; Lucchesi, M.; Pingue, P.; D’Acunto, M.; Rolla, P.*, Influence of a reduced mobility layer on the structural relaxation dynamics of aluminium capped ultrathin films of poly(ethylene terephthalate). Langmuir, 2007. 23(4) 2103-2109

Napolitano, S.*; Wübbenhorst, M., Slowing down of the crystallization kinetics in ultrathin polymer films: A size or an interface effect? Macromolecules, 2006. 39(18) 5967-5970