Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Determination of Molar Masses of Polymers I

Determination of Molar Masses of Polymers I

Polymerization produces macromolecules with a range of chain lengths due to the random nature of molecular growth processes. As chains form and terminate at different stages, a single polymer sample contains molecules of varying sizes rather than a uniform structure. This variability is described using average molar masses and distribution-related parameters, which together provide a comprehensive understanding of polymer characteristics.The distribution of molar masses plays a critical role in...

Determination of Molar Masses of Polymers II

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...

Molecular Weight of Step-Growth Polymers

Molecular Weight of Step-Growth Polymers

Step growth polymerization involves bi or multifunctional monomers. Bifunctional monomers react to form linear step growth polymers, whereas multifunctional monomers react to form non-linear or branched polymers.
As the step-growth polymerization involves step-wise condensation of monomers, the molecular weight also builds up eventually. Consequently, high molecular weight polymers are obtained at the late stages of the polymerization, where 99% of monomers have been consumed.
The extent of the...

Polymers: Molecular Weight Distribution

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.

Polymer Classification: Stereospecificity

Polymer Classification: Stereospecificity

Polymerization generates chiral centers along the entire backbone of a polymer chain. Accordingly, the stereochemistry of the substituent group has a significant effect on polymer properties. Polymers formed from monosubstituted alkene monomers feature chiral carbons at every alternate position in the polymer backbone. Relative to the predominant orientation of substituents at the adjacent chiral carbons, the polymer can exist in three different configurations: isotactic, syndiotactic, and...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Tracer diffusion in a polymer gel: simulations of static and dynamic 3D networks using spherical boundary conditions.

Journal of physics. Condensed matter : an Institute of Physics journal·2016

Same author

GPCR-ModSim: A comprehensive web based solution for modeling G-protein coupled receptors.

Nucleic acids research·2016

Same author

BRR2a Affects Flowering Time via FLC Splicing.

PLoS genetics·2016

Same author

Erratum to: A quantitative assessment of the Hadoop framework for analyzing massively parallel DNA sequencing data.

GigaScience·2015

Same author

Effects of Discrete Charge Clustering in Simulations of Charged Interfaces.

Journal of chemical theory and computation·2015

Same author

Experiences with workflows for automating data-intensive bioinformatics.

Biology direct·2015

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 29, 2026

Self-assembling Morphologies Obtained from Helical Polycarbodiimide Copolymers and Their Triazole Derivatives

Self-assembling Morphologies Obtained from Helical Polycarbodiimide Copolymers and Their Triazole Derivatives

Published on: February 7, 2017

Method for sampling compact configurations for semistiff polymers.

Alexey Siretskiy¹, Christer Elvingson, Pavel Vorontsov-Velyaminov

¹Department of Physical and Analytical Chemistry, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden. alexey.siretskiy@fki.uu.se

Physical Review. E, Statistical, Nonlinear, and Soft Matter Physics

|August 27, 2011

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

A new Monte Carlo method enhances polymer simulations by efficiently sampling compact configurations. This allows for detailed study of structural properties and phase transitions in semistiff polymers like DNA.

More Related Videos

DNA Nanotubes as a Versatile Tool to Study Semiflexible Polymers

DNA Nanotubes as a Versatile Tool to Study Semiflexible Polymers

Published on: October 25, 2017

Synthesis of Cyclic Polymers and Characterization of Their Diffusive Motion in the Melt State at the Single Molecule Level

Synthesis of Cyclic Polymers and Characterization of Their Diffusive Motion in the Melt State at the Single Molecule Level

Published on: September 26, 2016

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: May 29, 2026

Self-assembling Morphologies Obtained from Helical Polycarbodiimide Copolymers and Their Triazole Derivatives

Self-assembling Morphologies Obtained from Helical Polycarbodiimide Copolymers and Their Triazole Derivatives

Published on: February 7, 2017

DNA Nanotubes as a Versatile Tool to Study Semiflexible Polymers

DNA Nanotubes as a Versatile Tool to Study Semiflexible Polymers

Published on: October 25, 2017

Synthesis of Cyclic Polymers and Characterization of Their Diffusive Motion in the Melt State at the Single Molecule Level

Synthesis of Cyclic Polymers and Characterization of Their Diffusive Motion in the Melt State at the Single Molecule Level

Published on: September 26, 2016

Area of Science:

Computational physics and biophysics
Polymer physics
Statistical mechanics

Background:

Investigating structural properties of semistiff polymers (e.g., proteins, DNA) requires efficient sampling of compact configurations.
Conventional Monte Carlo methods can struggle with adequately sampling these complex states.

Purpose of the Study:

To introduce and validate a novel configuration-biased Monte Carlo sampling scheme for continuous polymer models.
To enable efficient collection of statistical data across a wide range of polymer compactions in a single simulation.

Main Methods:

Development and testing of a configuration-biased Monte Carlo method.
Integration of the proposed method with the Wang-Landau sampling scheme.
Comparison of the new method with conventional sampling techniques.

Main Results:

The configuration-biased Monte Carlo method, combined with Wang-Landau sampling, effectively samples compact polymer configurations.
Statistical data for diverse compactions, from stretched to toroidal, were collected in a single experiment.
A second-order-like phase transition from a stretched to a toroidal state was observed in a semistiff polymer.

Conclusions:

The proposed method significantly improves the efficiency of sampling compact polymer configurations.
It facilitates the comprehensive study of thermodynamic properties and phase transitions in semistiff polymers.
The observed phase transition provides insights into polymer structural behavior.