Related papers: Entropic force of cone-tethered polymers interacti…
When the local intrinsic stiffness of a polymer chain varies over a wide range, one can observe both a crossover from rigid-rod-like behavior to (almost) Gaussian random coils and a further crossover towards self-avoiding walks in good…
A variational approach, based on a discrete representation of the chain, is used to calculate free energy and conformational properties in polyelectrolytes. The true bond and Coulomb potentials are approximated by a trial isotropic harmonic…
We consider forces acting on objects immersed in, or attached to, long fluctuating polymers. The confinement of the polymer by the obstacles results in polymer-mediated forces that can be repulsive (due to loss of entropy) or attractive (if…
We consider the force on the end of a polymer chain being pulled through a network at velocity $v$, using computer simulations. We develop algorithms for measuring the force on the end of the chain using lattice models of polymers. Our…
We consider a system where a spherical particle is suspended in a nematic liquid crystal confined between two walls. We calculate the liquid-crystal mediated potential of mean force between the sphere and a substrate by means of Monte Carlo…
Exact results for the scaling properties of compact polymers on the square lattice are obtained from an effective field theory. The entropic exponent \gamma=117/112 is calculated, and a line of fixed points associated with interacting…
We present Monte Carlo simulations of lattice models of polymers. These simulations are intended to demonstrate the strengths of a powerful new flat histogram algorithm which is obtained by adding microcanonical reweighting techniques to…
We have studied biomembranes with grafted polymer chains using a coarse-grained membrane simulation, where a meshless membrane model is combined with polymer chains. We focus on the polymer-induced entropic effects on mechanical properties…
Recent advances in single macromolecule experiments have sparked interest in the ensemble dependence of force-extension relations. The thermodynamic limit may not be attainable for such systems, that leads to inequivalence of the…
The crystallisation of entangled polymers from their melt is investigated using computer simulation with a coarse-grained model. Using hybrid Monte Carlo simulations enables us to probe the behaviour of long polymer chains. We identify…
Quantitative predictions are presented of a depletion-induced torque and force acting on a single colloidal hard rod immersed in a solvent of hard spheres close to a planar hard wall. This torque and force, which are entirely of entropic…
Loops undergoing thermal fluctuations are prevalent in nature. Ring-like or cross-linked polymers, cyclic macromolecules, and protein-mediated DNA loops all belong to this category. Stability of these molecules are generally described in…
In lattice models local pressure on a surface is derived from the change in the free energy of the system due to the exclusion of a certain boundary site, while the total force on the surface can be obtained by a similar exclusion of all…
Continuum Monte-Carlo simulations at constant pressure are performed on short chain molecules at surfaces. The rodlike chains, consisting of seven effective monomers, are attached at one end to a flat twodimensional substrate. It is found…
The thermally assisted detachment of a self-avoiding polymer chain from an adhesive surface by an external force applied to one of the chain ends is investigated. We perform our study in the "fixed height" statistical ensemble where one…
Simulations are used to examine the microscopic origins of strain hardening in polymer glasses. While stress-strain curves for a wide range of temperature can be fit to the functional form predicted by entropic network models, many other…
Forced detachment of a single polymer chain, strongly-adsorbed on a solid substrate, is investigated by two complementary methods: a coarse-grained analytical dynamical model, based on the Onsager stochastic equation, and Molecular Dynamics…
In our original article (Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., 2012, 14, 60446053) a convergence problem resulted in an averaging error in computing the entropy from a set of Wang-Landau Monte-Carlo simulations. Here we report corrected results for the…
Monte Carlo simulations are used to study the conformational behavior of a semiflexible polymer confined to cylindrical and conical channels. The channels are sufficiently narrow that the conditions for the Odijk regime are marginally…
The dynamical response of a tethered semiflexible polymer with self-attractive interactions and subjected to an external force field is numerically investigated by varying stiffness and self-interaction strength. The chain is confined in…