Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 16, 2026
06:55
Synthesis of Cyclic Polymers and Characterization of Their Diffusive Motion in the Melt State at the Single Molecule Level
Published on: September 26, 2016
8.5K
Influence of Constraints within a Cyclic Polymer on Solution Properties
Md D Hossain1, James C Reid1, Derong Lu1
1Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, The University of Queensland , Brisbane Queensland 4072, Australia.
Biomacromolecules
|December 29, 2017
Summary
Constrained cyclic polymers become more compact with increasing arms, exhibiting greater excluded volume than linear polymers. These findings offer insights into the stability and activity of cyclic biomacromolecules.
Area of Science:
- Polymer Chemistry
- Computational Materials Science
Background:
- Cyclic polymers offer unique properties compared to linear analogs.
- Understanding their behavior is crucial for modeling biomacromolecules.
Purpose of the Study:
- Investigate the impact of internal constraints on cyclic polymer properties.
- Develop a model system for cyclic biomacromolecules.
Main Methods:
- Employed molecular dynamics (MD) simulations.
- Studied cyclic polystyrene with varying numbers of branch points (0-18) and constraints.
- Analyzed radius of gyration, hydrodynamic radius, and excluded volume.
Main Results:
- Increased arms led to decreased radius of gyration and hydrodynamic radius, indicating greater compactness.
- Cyclic polymers showed significantly larger excluded volume than linear counterparts.
- Under size exclusion chromatography flow, hydrodynamic radius increased due to swelling perpendicular to flow.
Conclusions:
- Constrained cyclic polymers exhibit enhanced compactness and excluded volume.
- Structural rearrangements under flow contribute to their unique behavior.
- These properties provide a physical basis for the stability and activity of cyclic biological macromolecules.
Related Concept Videos
02:12General Properties of Solutions
36.2K
Many common substances around us exist as a solution, such as ocean water, air, and gasoline. All solutions are mixtures of substances that are composed of varying amounts of two or more types of atoms or molecules. A mixture with a non-uniform composition is a heterogeneous mixture, whereas a mixture with a uniform composition is a homogeneous mixture. The components that make the homogeneous mixture are evenly spread out and thoroughly mixed.
36.2K
02:34Polymers
41.5K
The word polymer is derived from the Greek words “poly” which means “many” and “mer” which means “parts”. Polymers are long chains of molecules composed of repeating units of smaller molecules, known as monomers. They either occur naturally, such as DNA and proteins, or can be constructed synthetically, like plastics. They have varied structural characteristics, such as linear chains, branched chains, or complex networks, that contribute to the...
41.5K
02:34Polymers
23.4K
23.4K
01:26Constraints and Statical Determinacy
1.0K
In structural engineering, the equilibrium of a system is not only determined by its equations of equilibrium but also with the help of constraints. Constraints refer to restrictions on the motion of a system. The proper combinations of constraints can minimize the total number of constraints needed to maintain a system in mechanical equilibrium. When this happens, the system is said to be statically determinate. For such systems, the unknown reaction supports can be estimated using equilibrium...
1.0K
02:39Enthalpy of Solution
31.3K
There are two criteria that favor, but do not guarantee, the spontaneous formation of a solution:
31.3K
02:58Properties of Transition Metals
30.1K
Transition metals are defined as those elements that have partially filled d orbitals. As shown in Figure 1, the d-block elements in groups 3–12 are transition elements. The f-block elements, also called inner transition metals (the lanthanides and actinides), also meet this criterion because the d orbital is partially occupied before the f orbitals.
30.1K