Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Cationic Chain-Growth Polymerization: Mechanism00:57

Cationic Chain-Growth Polymerization: Mechanism

3.0K
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...
3.0K
Anionic Chain-Growth Polymerization: Mechanism01:04

Anionic Chain-Growth Polymerization: Mechanism

2.6K
The mechanism for anionic chain-growth polymerization involves initiation, propagation, and termination steps. In the initiation step, a nucleophilic anion, such as butyl lithium, initiates the polymerization process by attacking the π bond of the vinylic monomer. As a result, a carbanion, stabilized by the electron‐withdrawing group, is generated. The resulting carbanion acts as a Michael donor in the propagation step and attacks the second vinylic monomer, which acts as a Michael...
2.6K
Step-Growth Polymerization: Overview01:03

Step-Growth Polymerization: Overview

4.5K
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...
4.5K
Anionic Chain-Growth Polymerization: Overview01:20

Anionic Chain-Growth Polymerization: Overview

2.7K
The polymerization process that involves carbanion as an intermediate is called anionic polymerization. It is also a type of addition or chain-growth polymerization. Anionic polymerization gets initiated by a strong nucleophile such as an organolithium or a Grignard reagent. The most commonly used initiator for anionic polymerization is butyl lithium. Monomers involved in anionic polymerization must possess a vinyl group bonded to one or two electron-withdrawing groups. For instance,...
2.7K
Radical Chain-Growth Polymerization: Mechanism01:09

Radical Chain-Growth Polymerization: Mechanism

3.7K
The radical chain-growth polymerization mechanism consists of three steps: initiation, propagation, and termination of polymerization. The polymerization initiates when a free radical generated from the radical initiator adds to the unsaturated bond in the monomer. The unpaired electron of the free radical and one π electron in the unsaturated bond creates a σ bond between the free radical and the monomer. As a result, the other π electron in the unsaturated bond converts this species into...
3.7K
Olefin Metathesis Polymerization: Overview01:13

Olefin Metathesis Polymerization: Overview

2.7K
Recently, the development of olefin metathesis polymerization advanced the field of polymer synthesis. Simply put, the reorganization of substituents on their double bonds between two olefins in the presence of a catalyst is known as the olefin metathesis reaction. The use of metathesis reaction for polymer synthesis is called olefin metathesis polymerization.
Ruthenium-based Grubbs catalyst is the most commonly used catalyst for olefin metathesis polymerization. Grubbs catalyst consists of a...
2.7K

You might also read

Related Articles

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

Sort by
Same author

Actively Induced Supercoiling Can Slow Down Plasmid Solutions by Trapping the Threading Entanglements.

ACS nano·2026
Same author

Comparing simulated and synthesized polymer brush profiles.

The Journal of chemical physics·2025
Same author

Structure and dynamics of ionic liquids under shear flow.

The Journal of chemical physics·2025
Same author

Topology-Controlled Microphase Separation and Interconversion of Twist and Writhe Domains in Supercoiled Annealed Polyelectrolytes.

Physical review letters·2025
Same author

Density fluctuations, solvation thermodynamics, and coexistence curves in grand canonical molecular dynamics simulations.

The Journal of chemical physics·2025
Same author

Intrinsic stiffness and <i>Θ</i>-solvent regime in intrinsically disordered proteins: Implications for liquid-liquid phase separation.

PNAS nexus·2025
Same journal

Erratum: Bacterial Turbulence at Compressible Fluid Interfaces [Phys. Rev. Lett. 136, 138301 (2026)].

Physical review letters·2026
Same journal

Unveiling Light-Quark Yukawa Flavor Structure via Dihadron Fragmentation at Lepton Colliders.

Physical review letters·2026
Same journal

Adaptable Route to Fast Coherent State Transport via Bang-Bang-Bang Protocols.

Physical review letters·2026
Same journal

Topological Transition and Emergence of Elasticity of Dislocation in Skyrmion Lattice: Beyond Kittel's Magnetic-Polar Analogy.

Physical review letters·2026
Same journal

Pound-Drever-Hall Method for Superconducting-Qubit Readout.

Physical review letters·2026
Same journal

Coupling a ^{73}Ge Nuclear Spin to an Electrostatically Defined Quantum Dot in Silicon.

Physical review letters·2026
See all related articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Mar 6, 2026

Cell Co-culture Patterning Using Aqueous Two-phase Systems
10:11

Cell Co-culture Patterning Using Aqueous Two-phase Systems

Published on: March 26, 2013

19.5K

Small Activity Differences Drive Phase Separation in Active-Passive Polymer Mixtures.

Jan Smrek1, Kurt Kremer1

  • 1Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research, Ackermannweg 10, 55128 Mainz, Germany.

Physical Review Letters
|March 18, 2017
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Mixtures of active and passive polymers phase separate more easily as polymer length increases. This finding lowers experimental barriers and suggests implications for DNA organization within cell nuclei.

More Related Videos

Anionic Polymerization of an Amphiphilic Copolymer for Preparation of Block Copolymer Micelles Stabilized by &#960;-&#960; Stacking Interactions
10:53

Anionic Polymerization of an Amphiphilic Copolymer for Preparation of Block Copolymer Micelles Stabilized by π-π Stacking Interactions

Published on: October 10, 2016

14.7K
Confocal Imaging of Confined Quiescent and Flowing Colloid-polymer Mixtures
10:56

Confocal Imaging of Confined Quiescent and Flowing Colloid-polymer Mixtures

Published on: May 20, 2014

12.6K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Mar 6, 2026

Cell Co-culture Patterning Using Aqueous Two-phase Systems
10:11

Cell Co-culture Patterning Using Aqueous Two-phase Systems

Published on: March 26, 2013

19.5K
Anionic Polymerization of an Amphiphilic Copolymer for Preparation of Block Copolymer Micelles Stabilized by &#960;-&#960; Stacking Interactions
10:53

Anionic Polymerization of an Amphiphilic Copolymer for Preparation of Block Copolymer Micelles Stabilized by π-π Stacking Interactions

Published on: October 10, 2016

14.7K
Confocal Imaging of Confined Quiescent and Flowing Colloid-polymer Mixtures
10:56

Confocal Imaging of Confined Quiescent and Flowing Colloid-polymer Mixtures

Published on: May 20, 2014

12.6K

Area of Science:

  • Soft matter physics
  • Biophysics
  • Computational modeling

Background:

  • Theoretical studies indicate phase separation in active-passive colloidal mixtures requires very high activity ratios, hindering experimental validation.
  • Understanding nonequilibrium phase transitions is crucial for various scientific disciplines.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the effect of polymer length on the phase separation behavior of active and passive polymer mixtures.
  • To identify a more accessible experimental regime for observing active-passive phase separation.
  • To explore the potential implications for biological systems, such as DNA organization in cell nuclei.

Main Methods:

  • Utilizing computational simulations to model mixtures of active and passive polymer particles.
  • Analyzing the relationship between polymer length, activity ratio, and phase separation.
  • Employing entropy production as an indicator for detecting nonequilibrium phase transitions.

Main Results:

  • Demonstrated that increasing polymer length significantly reduces the critical activity ratio required for phase separation.
  • Identified a more experimentally feasible range for observing this phenomenon.
  • Confirmed entropy production as a reliable metric for identifying the phase transition.

Conclusions:

  • The length of polymers in active-passive mixtures critically influences their phase separation behavior, making it more accessible experimentally.
  • Findings suggest potential mechanisms for the organization of biopolymers like DNA within cellular environments.
  • Entropy production serves as a robust indicator for nonequilibrium phase transitions in such systems.