Search results for "Biomolecule"

Computer Simulations for Polymer Dynamics

1991

In this paper we review recent work on the dynamics of polymeric systems using computer simulation methods. For a two-dimensional polymer melt, we show that the chains segregate and the dynamics can be described very well by the Rouse model. This simulation was carried out using the bond fluctuation Monte Carlo method. For three-dimensional (3d) melts and for the study of hydrodynamic effects, we use a molecular dynamics simulation. For 3d melts our results strongly support the concept of reptation. A detailed comparison to experiment shows that we can predict the time and length scales for the onset of reptation for a variety of polymeric liquids. For a single chain, we find the expected h…

Anomalous diffusion of polymers in supercooled melts near the glass transition

2007

Two coarse-grained models for polymer chains in dense melts near the glass transition are investigated: the bond fluctuation lattice model, where long bonds are energetically favored, is studied by dynamic Monte Carlo simulation, and an off-lattice bead-spring model with Lennard-Jones forces between the beads is treated by Molecular Dynamics. We compare the time-dependence of the mean square displacements of both models, and show that they become very similar on mesoscopic scales (i.e., displacements larger than a bond length). The slowing down of motions near the glass transition is discussed in terms of the mode coupling theory and other concepts.

Structure of diblock copolymers in supercritical carbon dioxide and critical micellization pressure

1999

This paper reports a small angle neutron scattering investigation of micelle formation by fluorocarbon-hydrocarbon block copolymers in supercritical ${\mathrm{CO}}_{2}{(\mathrm{s}\mathrm{c}\ensuremath{-}\mathrm{C}\mathrm{O}}_{2})$ at 65 \ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}C. A sharp unimer-micelle transition is obtained due to the tuning of the solvating ability of ${\mathrm{s}\mathrm{c}\ensuremath{-}\mathrm{C}\mathrm{O}}_{2}$ by profiling pressure, so that the block copolymer, in a semidilute solution, finds ${\mathrm{s}\mathrm{c}\ensuremath{-}\mathrm{C}\mathrm{O}}_{2}$ a good solvent at high pressure and a poor solvent at low pressure. At high pressure the copolymer is in a monomeric state…

1986

An osmotic pressure equation proposed over 50 years ago is found to be consistent with the des Cloizeaux scaling relation for semi-dilute polymer solutions in good solvents. With a physically plausible modification, the equation can also give a satisfactory representation of dilute solutions and of the cross-over to the semi-dilute regime.

Entropic Unmixing in Nematic Blends of Semiflexible Polymers

2020

Binary mixtures of semiflexible polymers with the same chain length but different persistence lengths separate into two coexisting different nematic phases when the osmotic pressure of the lyotropic solution is varied. Molecular Dynamics simulations and Density Functional Theory predict phase diagrams either with a triple point, where the isotropic phase coexists with two nematic phases, or a critical point of unmixing within the nematic mixture. The difference in locally preferred bond angles between the constituents drives this unmixing without any attractive interactions between monomers.

Phase Transitions and Relaxation Processes in Macromolecular Systems: The Case of Bottle-brush Polymers

2009

As an example for the interplay of structure, dynamics, and phase behavior of macromolecular systems, this article focuses on the problem of bottle-brush polymers with either rigid or flexible backbones. On a polymer with chain length $N_b$, side-chains with chain length $N$ are endgrafted with grafting density $\sigma$. Due to the multitude of characteristic length scales and the size of these polymers (typically these cylindrical macromolecules contain of the order of 10000 effective monomeric units) understanding of the structure is a challenge for experiment. But due to excessively large relaxation times (particularly under poor solvent conditions) such macromolecules also are a challen…

Making Floryr–Huggins Practical: Thermodynamics of Polymer-Containing Mixtures

2010

The theoretical part of this article demonstrates how the original Flory–Huggins theory can be extended to describe the thermodynamic behavior of polymer-containing mixtures quantitatively. This progress is achieved by accounting for two features of macromolecules that the original approach ignores: the effects of chain connectivity in the case of dilute solutions, and the ability of polymer coils to change their spatial extension in response to alterations in their molecular environment. In the general case, this approach leads to composition-dependent interaction parameters, which can for most binary systems be described by means of two physically meaningful parameters; systems involving …

Solubility of Polymers

2011

Detailed knowledge concerning the phase state (homogeneous or coexistence of two or more condensed phases) of polymer containing mixtures is indispensible in virtually any area related to the production or application of macromolecules. In addition to this qualitative information it is for many purposes highly desirable to dispose of quantitative data regarding solvent quality or, more generally, with respect to the thermodynamic interaction between the components of the mixtures. This contribution starts with a brief presentation of the thermodynamic criteria deciding on the phase state and presents the experimental methods used in this area. The next section gives an overview on typical b…

Entropy of glassy polymer melts: Comparison between Gibbs-DiMarzio theory and simulation.

1996

We calculate the free energy of a model for a polymer melt in a computer simulation of the bond-fluctuation model and determine the entropy of the melt over a wide range of temperatures, including the region close to the glass transition. The results are compared with the Gibbs-DiMarzio theory, a theory by Flory for semiflexible polymers, and a modification of their theories due to Milchev. We can describe the data within the framework of the Flory theory with Milchev's correction and discuss the consequences for the understanding of the glass transition. \textcopyright{} 1996 The American Physical Society.

Computer Simulations and Coarse-Grained Molecular Models Predicting the Equation of State of Polymer Solutions

2010

Monte Carlo and molecular dynamics simulations are, in principle, powerful tools for carrying out the basic task of statistical thermodynamics, namely the prediction of macroscopic properties of matter from suitable models of effective interactions between atoms and molecules. The state of the art of this approach is reviewed, with an emphasis on solutions of rather short polymer chains (such as alkanes) in various solvents. Several methods of constructing coarse-grained models of the simple bead–spring type will be mentioned, using input either from atomistic models (considering polybutadiene as an example) or from experiment. Also, the need to have corresponding coarse-grained models of t…