Search results for "Statistical Physics"
showing 10 items of 1402 documents
One- and two-component bottle-brush polymers: simulations compared to theoretical predictions
2007
Scaling predictions and results from self-consistent field calculations for bottle-brush polymers with a rigid backbone and flexible side chains under good solvent conditions are summarized and their validity and applicability is assessed by a comparison with Monte Carlo simulations of a simple lattice model. It is shown that under typical conditions, as they are also present in experiments, only a rather weak stretching of the side chains is realized, and then the scaling predictions based on the extension of the Daoud-Cotton blob picture are not applicable. Also two-component bottle brush polymers are considered, where two types (A,B) of side chains are grafted, assuming that monomers of …
The intermediate coherent scattering function of entangled polymer melts: a Monte Carlo test of des Cloizeaux' theory
1994
Using the bond fluctuation model for flexible polymer chains in a dense melt the intermediate coherent scattering function for chains containing N=200 monomers is calculated and interpreted in terms of a recent theory of des Cloizeaux. The theory yields an explicit description for the crossover from the Rouse model to the regime where reptation prevails, for the limit N→∞. While the Monte Carlo data are qualitatively compatible with this description, an accurate estimation of the tube diameter is prevented due to the onset of a diffusive decay of the scattering function, not included in the theory. For a full quantitative analysis of the Monte Carlo data (as well as of experiments on chains…
Long Range Bond-Bond Correlations in Dense Polymer Solutions
2004
The scaling of the bond-bond correlation function $C(s)$ along linear polymer chains is investigated with respect to the curvilinear distance, $s$, along the flexible chain and the monomer density, $\rho$, via Monte Carlo and molecular dynamics simulations. % Surprisingly, the correlations in dense three dimensional solutions are found to decay with a power law $C(s) \sim s^{-\omega}$ with $\omega=3/2$ and the exponential behavior commonly assumed is clearly ruled out for long chains. % In semidilute solutions, the density dependent scaling of $C(s) \approx g^{-\omega_0} (s/g)^{-\omega}$ with $\omega_0=2-2\nu=0.824$ ($\nu=0.588$ being Flory's exponent) is set by the number of monomers $g(\r…
Phase transitions in a single polymer chain: A micro-canonical analysis of Wang–Landau simulations
2008
Abstract We present simulation results for the phase behavior of a single chain for a flexible lattice polymer model using the Wang–Landau sampling idea. Using the micro-canonical density of states obtained with this method we will discuss the ability of an analysis in the micro-canonical ensemble to locate the coil-globule (continuous) and liquid–solid (first-order) transitions found for this problem using a canonical analysis.
GPU Based Molecular Dynamics Simulations of Polymer Rings in Concentrated Solution: Structure and Scaling
2011
We report on equilibrium properties of a concentrated solution of non-concatenated ring polymers by Molecular dynamics simulations using HooMD-blue, a fast implementation on graphics processor units (GPUs). We are able to identify the intermediate scaling regime for the radius of gyration Rg ∝ N as well as indication for a crossover to Rg ∝ N for rings with chain length N in our fully flexible off-lattice polymer model. This crossover takes place between a ring size of 2500 and 7500 monomers for monomer density ρ = 0.5. Our results are in agreement with recent studies for lattice and stiff off-lattice models and show once again that this scaling is not model dependent at all. Furthermore th…
A Monte Carlo Study of Living Polymers in 2D: Effect of Small Chains on Static Properties
1996
A slithering snake algorithm is combined with a binding and breaking chain algorithm to simulate the static behavior of living polymers according to Cates' description. It is shown that this simple two-dimensional simulation on a square lattice gives good agreement with the mean field theory. However, the large amount of small contour length chains for small values of the mean average length 〈L 〉 appears to be one of the reasons for the discrepancies observed between the simulated results and the mean field theory. This finding could explain disagreements between experimental observation and theory. Also, the results are not in favor of a swelling of the greater chains by the smaller one.
Structure and dynamics of amorphous polymers: computer simulations compared to experiment and theory
2004
This contribution considers recent developments in the computer modelling of amorphous polymeric materials. Progress in our capabilities to build models for the computer simulation of polymers from the detailed atomistic scale up to coarse-grained mesoscopic models, together with the ever-improving performance of computers, have led to important insights from computer simulations into the structural and dynamic properties of amorphous polymers. Structurally, chain connectivity introduces a range of length scales from that of the chemical bond to the radius of gyration of the polymer chain covering 2–4 orders of magnitude. Dynamically, this range of length scales translates into an even larg…
Pulling Single Adsorbed Bottle-Brush Polymers off a Flat Surface: A Monte Carlo Simulation
2013
Force versus extension behavior of flexible chains and semiflexible bottle-brush polymers adsorbed from a good solvent on a planar substrate is studied by Monte Carlo simulation of the bond fluctua...
Recent Developments in Monte Carlo Simulations of Lattice Models for Polymer Systems
2008
A brief review is given of methodological advances made during the past decade with the Monte Carlo sampling of equilibrium properties of simple lattice models of polymer systems, and representative applications of these new algorithms are summarized. These algorithms include Wang−Landau (WL) sampling, the pruned-enriched Rosenbluth method (PERM), and topology violating dynamic Monte Carlo algorithms such as combinations of local moves, slithering snake moves, and “double bridging” moves for the bond fluctuation model. The applications mentioned concern phase-transition-like phenomena of single chains (collapse and crystallization in bad solvents; interplay of collapse and adsorption; escap…
Stimuli-responsive brushes with active minority components: Monte Carlo study and analytical theory
2015
Using a combination of analytical theory, Monte Carlo simulations, and three dimensional self-consistent field calculations, we study the equilibrium properties and the switching behavior of adsorption-active polymer chains included in a homopolymer brush. The switching transition is driven by a conformational change of a small fraction of minority chains, which are attracted by the substrate. Depending on the strength of the attractive interaction, the minority chains assume one of two states: An exposed state characterized by a stem-crown-like conformation, and an adsorbed state characterized by a flat two-dimensional structure. Comparing the Monte Carlo simulations, which use an Edwards-…