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Synthesis of Cyclic Polymers and Characterization of Their Diffusive Motion in the Melt State at the Single Molecule Level

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Globulelike Conformation and Enhanced Diffusion of Active Polymers.

Valentino Bianco^1,2, Emanuele Locatelli¹, Paolo Malgaretti^3,4

¹Faculty of Physics, University of Vienna, Boltzmanngasse 5, Wien 1090, Austria.

Physical Review Letters

|December 6, 2018

Summary

Active polymers exhibit a coil-to-globule transition when monomer self-propulsion aligns with the backbone. This affects polymer size and diffusion, potentially enabling new polymer applications.

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Area of Science:

Polymer Physics
Soft Matter Physics
Statistical Mechanics

Background:

Active matter systems exhibit unique dynamic behaviors not found in equilibrium systems.
Polymers composed of active monomers present a novel class of materials with tunable properties.
Understanding the interplay between internal activity and polymer conformation is crucial for designing functional materials.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the conformational dynamics of polymers made of active monomers.
To explore the effect of aligned self-propulsion on polymer structure and motion.
To identify potential applications for activity-controlled polymers.

Main Methods:

Brownian dynamics simulations were employed to model polymer behavior.
The study analyzed the scaling exponent of the gyration radius to characterize conformation.
Diffusion coefficients were calculated to assess polymer mobility.

Main Results:

Aligned self-propulsion induced a coil-to-globule-like transition in polymers.
A significant change in the gyration radius scaling exponent was observed.
Polymer diffusion became largely independent of size under specific conditions.
Reduced effects were noted when self-propulsion was not tangent to the backbone.

Conclusions:

Monomer self-propulsion directionality is a key factor in polymer dynamics and conformation.
Activity-controlled polymers offer new design possibilities.
These findings could lead to advanced polymer-based drug delivery systems.