Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 14, 2026

DNA Nanotubes as a Versatile Tool to Study Semiflexible Polymers
Published on: October 25, 2017
From flexible to stiff: systematic analysis of structural phases for single semiflexible polymers
Daniel T Seaton1, Stefan Schnabel, David P Landau
1Department of Physics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA. dseaton@mit.edu
Abstract:
Inspired by recent studies revealing unexpected pliability of semiflexible biomolecules like RNA and DNA, we systematically investigate the range of structural phases by means of a simple generic polymer model. Using a two-dimensional variant of Wang-Landau sampling to explore the conformational space in energy and stiffness within a single simulation, we identify the entire diversity of structures existing from the well-studied limit of flexible polymers to that of wormlike chains. We also discuss, in detail, the influence of finite-size effects in the formation of crystalline structures that are virtually inaccessible via conventional computational approaches.
Related Concept Videos
Classification and Mechanical Properties of Synthetic Polymers
Polymer Classification: Architecture
Residual Stresses in Bending
Members Made of Elastoplastic Material
As the bending moment...
Polymer Classification: Crystallinity
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...
Molecular Weight of Step-Growth 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...

