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

Radical Chain-Growth Polymerization: Chain Branching

Radical Chain-Growth Polymerization: Chain Branching

The skeletal structure of polymers synthesized via radical polymerization is always branched. For example, the polymerization of ethylene by radical polymerization results in a low-density grade of polyethylene with a heavily branched skeletal structure. Here, the radical site abstracts hydrogen from the growing chain, and the radical site shifts from the end (a primary carbon center) to anywhere within the growing chain (a secondary carbon center). Consequently, the part of the chain from the...

Polymer Classification: Architecture

Polymer Classification: Architecture

Polymers are classified as linear or branched on the basis of their chain architecture. The polymer chains in linear polymers have a long chain-like structure with minimal to no branching at all. Even if a polymer features large substituent groups on the monomer, which appear as branches to the skeleton, it is not considered a branched polymer. A branched polymer contains secondary polymer chains that arise from the main polymer chain. The branching occurs when the polymer growth shifts from...

Step-Growth Polymerization: Overview

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...

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...

Radical Chain-Growth Polymerization: Overview

Radical Chain-Growth Polymerization: Overview

Chain-growth or addition polymerization is successive addition reactions of monomers with a polymer chain. In radical chain-growth polymerization, the reaction proceeds via a free-radical intermediate. The free radical is formed from radical initiators, which spontaneously generate free radicals by homolytic fission. Organic peroxides (such as dibenzoyl peroxide, as shown in Figure 1) or azo compounds are popular radical initiators. A low concentration ratio of radical initiator to monomer is...

Types of Step-Growth Polymers: Polyesters

Types of Step-Growth Polymers: Polyesters

The introduction of polyesters has brought major development to the textile industry. The wrinkle-free behavior of polyester blends has eliminated the need for starching and ironing clothes.
Polyesters are commonly prepared from terephthalic acid and ethylene glycol; the crude product is known as poly(ethylene terephthalate) or PET. However, polyesters are synthesized industrially by transesterification of dimethyl terephthalate with ethylene glycol at 150 °C. The two reactants and the polymer...

You might also read

Related Articles

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

Sort by

Same author

Determination of the pathological staging of the oral squamous cell carcinoma based on microscopic hyperspectral imaging.

Oral oncology·2025

Same author

Treatment of acute pharyngitis in rats with season tea decoctions from traditional Chinese medicine through a synergistic and subtle regulation of ARNTL and BHLHE40.

Journal of ethnopharmacology·2024

Same author

Traditional Chinese Medicine Danzhi qing'e decoction inhibits inflammation-associated prostatic hyperplasia via inactivation of ERK1/2 signal pathway.

Journal of ethnopharmacology·2023

Same author

Theoretical Study of the Optimal Design of a UV-Controllable Smart Surface Decorated by a Hybrid Azobenzene-Containing Polymer Layer.

Langmuir : the ACS journal of surfaces and colloids·2019

Same author

Near infrared spectroscopy based monitoring of extraction processes of raw material with the help of dynamic predictive modeling.

Spectrochimica acta. Part A, Molecular and biomolecular spectroscopy·2017

Same author

Combining near infrared spectroscopy with predictive model and expertise to monitor herb extraction processes.

Journal of pharmaceutical and biomedical analysis·2017

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 11, 2026

Grafting Multiwalled Carbon Nanotubes with Polystyrene to Enable Self-Assembly and Anisotropic Patchiness

Grafting Multiwalled Carbon Nanotubes with Polystyrene to Enable Self-Assembly and Anisotropic Patchiness

Published on: April 1, 2018

Grafted polymers inside cylindrical tubes: chain stretching vs layer thickness.

Tongchuan Suo¹, Mark D Whitmore

¹Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.

The Journal of Chemical Physics

|May 3, 2013

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Grafted polymer chains in cylindrical tubes form thinner layers as the tube radius decreases. This thinning occurs even if polymer structure remains unchanged, revealing complex behaviors in confined polymer systems.

More Related Videos

Density Gradient Multilayered Polymerization (DGMP): A Novel Technique for Creating Multi-compartment, Customizable Scaffolds for Tissue Engineering

Density Gradient Multilayered Polymerization (DGMP): A Novel Technique for Creating Multi-compartment, Customizable Scaffolds for Tissue Engineering

Published on: February 12, 2013

Tri-layered Electrospinning to Mimic Native Arterial Architecture using Polycaprolactone, Elastin, and Collagen: A Preliminary Study

Tri-layered Electrospinning to Mimic Native Arterial Architecture using Polycaprolactone, Elastin, and Collagen: A Preliminary Study

Published on: January 4, 2011

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: May 11, 2026

Grafting Multiwalled Carbon Nanotubes with Polystyrene to Enable Self-Assembly and Anisotropic Patchiness

Grafting Multiwalled Carbon Nanotubes with Polystyrene to Enable Self-Assembly and Anisotropic Patchiness

Published on: April 1, 2018

Density Gradient Multilayered Polymerization (DGMP): A Novel Technique for Creating Multi-compartment, Customizable Scaffolds for Tissue Engineering

Density Gradient Multilayered Polymerization (DGMP): A Novel Technique for Creating Multi-compartment, Customizable Scaffolds for Tissue Engineering

Published on: February 12, 2013

Tri-layered Electrospinning to Mimic Native Arterial Architecture using Polycaprolactone, Elastin, and Collagen: A Preliminary Study

Tri-layered Electrospinning to Mimic Native Arterial Architecture using Polycaprolactone, Elastin, and Collagen: A Preliminary Study

Published on: January 4, 2011

Area of Science:

Polymer Physics
Materials Science
Soft Matter Physics

Background:

Understanding polymer behavior in confined geometries is crucial for nanotechnology and materials design.
Grafted polymer chains form distinct layers, influencing surface properties and device performance.
Previous studies often focused on planar surfaces, leaving behavior in curved confinements less explored.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the detailed structure of grafted polymer chains within cylindrical tubes.
To analyze the formation and thickness of polymer layers in confined cylindrical geometries.
To elucidate the relationship between polymer stretching, layer thickness, and confinement effects.

Main Methods:

Employed the finitely extensible nonlinear elastic (FENE) chain model.
Utilized numerical self-consistent field theory (SCFT) for calculations.
Analyzed volume fraction profiles and monomer number distributions.

Main Results:

Layer thickness generally decreases with decreasing tube radius, deviating from planar surface behavior.
Root-mean-squared layer thickness can decrease even without changes in polymer conformation.
Polymer stretching can increase concurrently with decreasing layer thickness, presenting apparent paradoxes.

Conclusions:

Confinement within cylindrical tubes significantly alters grafted polymer layer structure.
Distinguishing between volume fraction and monomer distribution is key to understanding observed phenomena.
Differential movement of polymer segments towards and away from the curved surface dictates behavior.