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Related Concept Videos

Polymer Classification: Crystallinity01:21

Polymer Classification: Crystallinity

Unlike ionic or small covalent molecules, polymers do not form crystalline solids due to the diffusion limitations of their long-chain structures. However, polymers contain microscopic crystalline domains separated by amorphous domains.
Crystalline domains are the regions where polymer chains are aligned in an orderly manner and held together in proximity by intermolecular forces. For example, chains in the crystalline domains of polyethylene and nylon are bound together by van der Waals...
Total Voids in Concrete01:12

Total Voids in Concrete

Total voids in concrete encompass gel water volume, capillary pores, and entrapped air. Gel water (retained within the cement hydration products) and physically entrapped or adsorbed water are significant for the hydration process. For complete hydration, it's estimated that the space needed for the products of a cubic centimeter of cement doubles. Capillary pores constitute the unoccupied space within the hydrated cement paste, with their size largely influenced by the water-to-cement ratio...
Determination of Molar Masses of Polymers II01:27

Determination of Molar Masses of Polymers II

Polymer samples typically consist of macromolecular chains with a distribution of lengths, resulting in a range of molar masses rather than a single discrete value. Conventional descriptors such as the number-average molar mass and weight-average molar mass quantify this distribution but do not fully capture polymer behavior in solution..The viscosity-average molar mass provides a more realistic description of polymer behavior in solution because it accounts for the enhanced contribution of...
Polymers: Molecular Weight Distribution01:10

Polymers: Molecular Weight Distribution

For any given polymer, the weight average molecular weight (Mw) is higher than, if not equal to, the number average molecular weight (Mn). The only situation in which the weight average molecular weight and the number average molecular weight are equal is when a polymer consists only of chains with equal molecular weight. However, this never happens in a synthetic polymer, since it is difficult to control the polymerization process up to a molecular level with accuracy to a hundred percent.
Step-Growth Polymerization: Overview01:03

Step-Growth Polymerization: Overview

Step-growth or condensation polymerization is a stepwise reaction of bi or multifunctional monomers to form long-chain polymers. As all the monomers are reactive, most of the monomers are consumed at the early stages of the reaction to form small chains of reactive oligomers, which then combine to form long polymer chains in the late stages. Hence, the reaction has to proceed for a long time to achieve high molecular weight polymers.
Many natural and synthetic polymers are produced by...
Cationic Chain-Growth Polymerization: Mechanism00:57

Cationic Chain-Growth Polymerization: Mechanism

The cationic polymerization mechanism consists of three steps: initiation, propagation, and termination. In the initiation step of the polymerization process, the π bond of a monomer gets protonated by the Lewis acid catalyst, which is formed from boron trifluoride and water. The protonation of the π bond generates a carbocation stabilized by the electron‐donating group. In the propagation step, the π bond of the second monomer acts as a nucleophile and attacks the generated carbocation,...

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Controlled Synthesis and Fluorescence Tracking of Highly Uniform Poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) Microgels
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Controlled Synthesis and Fluorescence Tracking of Highly Uniform Poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) Microgels

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Structure of void space in polymer solutions.

Bong June Sung1, Arun Yethiraj

  • 1Department of Chemistry, Sogang University, Seoul 121-742, Republic of Korea.

Physical Review. E, Statistical, Nonlinear, and Soft Matter Physics
|April 7, 2010
PubMed
Summary

This study analyzes void space in polymer solutions using Voronoi tessellation. Results show distinct percolation threshold behaviors in 2D versus 3D polymer chains.

Area of Science:

  • Polymer Physics
  • Statistical Mechanics
  • Materials Science

Background:

  • Understanding the void space structure in polymer solutions is crucial for predicting material properties.
  • Previous studies often simplified polymer chain interactions or focused on specific dimensions.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the void space structure and percolation properties of polymer solutions in two and three dimensions.
  • To analyze the influence of polymer chain length (N) on the percolation threshold.
  • To compare void space characteristics between polymer solutions and monomeric fluids.

Main Methods:

  • Modeling polymer chains as freely jointed chains of tangent hard disks (2D) or spheres (3D).
  • Equilibrating polymer configurations using Monte Carlo simulations.

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Confocal Imaging of Confined Quiescent and Flowing Colloid-polymer Mixtures
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Confocal Imaging of Confined Quiescent and Flowing Colloid-polymer Mixtures

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Last Updated: Jun 14, 2026

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  • Mapping pore space using Voronoi tessellation and applying percolation theory to analyze connectivity.

    • Main Results:

    • The polymer area fraction at the percolation threshold exhibits nonmonotonic behavior with chain length (N) in 2D, contrasting with monotonic behavior in 3D.
    • Crossover behavior in the percolation threshold was observed in pseudo-3D systems.
    • Pore size distribution in polymer solutions decreases monotonically with increasing pore size, differing from peaked distributions in monomeric fluids.

    Conclusions:

    • The dimensionality significantly impacts the percolation threshold and void space structure in polymer solutions.
    • Voronoi tessellation combined with percolation theory provides a robust framework for characterizing polymer solution microstructures.
    • The distinct pore size distribution highlights differences between polymeric and simple fluid systems.