Related papers: Knots are Generic Stable Phases in Semiflexible Po…
Synthetic copolymers and biopolymers, such as polypeptides and double-stranded DNA, often exhibit strong variations in bending stiffness along their contour, which can significantly impact conformational behavior at larger scales. To…
We exploited the high temporal and spatial resolution of neutron spin echo spectroscopy to investigate the large-scale dynamics of semiflexible conjugated polymer chains in solutions. We obtained the first experimental demonstration of…
We employ the recently introduced generalized microcanonical inflection point method for the statistical analysis of phase transitions in flexible and semiflexible polymers and study the impact of the bending stiffness upon the character…
We consider a lattice model of a semiflexible homopolymer chain in a bad solvent. Beside the temperature $T$, this model is described by (i) a curvature energy $\varepsilon_h$, representing the stiffness of the chain (ii) a…
NpT ensemble Monte Carlo simulations were performed for fully flexible Lennard-Jones chains in the solid phase. The bond length between monomers within the chains is fixed to $L=\sigma$ and the molecule is free to adopt any configuration.…
We study the dynamical properties of semiflexible polymers with a recently introduced bead-spring model. We focus on double-stranded DNA. The two parameters of the model, $T^*$ and $\nu$, are chosen to match its experimental force-extension…
We analyze structural and conformational properties in a simulated bead-spring model of a non-entangled, supercooled polymer melt. We explore the statics of the model via various structure factors, involving not only the monomers, but also…
A self-consistent field theory study of lock and key type interactions between sterically stabilized colloids in polymer solution is performed. Both the key particle and the lock cavity are assumed to have cylindrical shape, and their…
Binary mixtures of semiflexible polymers with the same chain length but different persistence lengths separate into two coexisting different nematic phases when the osmotic pressure of the lyotropic solution is varied. Molecular Dynamics…
A statistical mechanical description of flexible and semi-flexible polymer chains in a poor solvent is developed in the constant force and constant distance ensembles. We predict the existence of many intermediate states at low temperatures…
A {\it new} formula for the force vs extension relation is derived from the discrete version of the so called {\it worm like chain} model. This formula correctly fits some recent experimental data on polymer stretching and some numerical…
Knots have a twisted history in quantum physics. They were abandoned as failed models of atoms. Only much later was the connection between knot invariants and Wilson loops in topological quantum field theory discovered. Here we show that…
We describe some recent results concerning the statistical properties of a self-interacting polymer stretched by an external force. We concentrate mainly on the cases of purely attractive or purely repulsive self-interactions, but our…
We compare Monte Carlo simulations of knotted and unknotted polymers whose ends are connected to two parallel walls. The force $f$ exerted on the polymer is measured as a function of the separation $R$ between the walls. For unknotted…
We present an analytical theory for heteropolymer deformation, as exemplified experimentally by stretching of single protein molecules. Using a mean-field replica theory, we determine phase diagrams for stress-induced unfolding of typical…
A model for filament buckling at finite temperatures is presented. Starting from the classical worm-like chain model under constant compression, we use a mean-field approach for filament inextensibility to find the complete partition…
Contact-drop dispensing is central to many small-scale applications, such as direct-scanning probe lithography and micromachined fountain-pen techniques. Accurate and controllable dispensing required for nanometer-resolved surface…
Single linear polymer chains in dilute solutions under good solvent conditions are studied by Monte Carlo simulations with the pruned-enriched Rosenbluth method up to the chain length $N \sim {\cal O}(10^4)$. Based on the standard simple…
The phase behaviour of two-component bottle-brush polymers with fully flexible backbones under poor solvent conditions is studied via molecular-dynamics simulations, using a coarse-grained bead-spring model and side chains of up to $N=40$…
We present a numerical study of the effect of knotting on the ejection of flexible and semiflexible polymers from a spherical, virus-like capsid. The polymer ejection rate is primarily controlled by the knot, which moves to the hole in the…