Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 14, 2026

Flexural Rigidity Measurements of Biopolymers Using Gliding Assays
Published on: November 9, 2012
Effects of backbone rigidity on the local structure and dynamics in polymer melts and glasses
Rajeev Kumar1, Monojoy Goswami, Bobby G Sumpter
1National Center for Computational Sciences, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN 37831, USA. kumarr@ornl.gov
Abstract:
Frustration in chain packing has been proposed to play an important role in thermodynamic and dynamic properties of polymeric melts and glasses. Based on a quantitative analysis using Voronoi tessellations and large scale molecular dynamics simulations of flexible and semi-flexible polymers, we demonstrate that the rigid polymer chains have higher averaged Voronoi polyhedral volumes and significantly wider distribution of the volume due to frustration in the chain packing. Using these results, we discuss the advantage of the rigid polymers for possible enhancement of transport properties, e.g. for enhancing ionic conductivity in solid polymer electrolytes.
Related Concept Videos
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...
Polymer Classification: Stereospecificity
Relation between Poisson's ratio, Modulus of Elasticity and Modulus of Rigidity
Plastic Behavior
Plastic Deformations
Plastic Deformations

