Welcome to the new version of CaltechAUTHORS. Login is currently restricted to library staff. If you notice any issues, please email coda@library.caltech.edu
Published September 21, 2006 | public
Journal Article

Continuous Self-Avoiding Walk with Application to the Description of Polymer Chains

Abstract

We develop the continuous self-avoiding walk (CSAW) methodology for investigating temperature dependent thermodynamic properties of finite polymer chains without imposing a lattice. This leads to a new concept:  the free energy theta temperature, T_(θF), at which the free energy is proportional to chain length. Above T_(θF), the polymer chain-solvent mixture leads to a single phase, whereas below T_(θF) the polymer solvent system has a positive surface tension with a tendency to phase separation to form a globular phase. For finite chains this coil-globule transition lies above the geometric theta temperature at which the distribution describes a Gaussian coil. CSAW provides the basis for a new approach to predict globular properties of real polymers.

Additional Information

© 2006 American Chemical Society. Received 11 July 2006. Published online 26 August 2006. Published in print 1 September 2006. We thank Dr. Jiro Sadanobu (Teijin) and Prof. Zhen-Gang Wang (Caltech) for helpful discussions. This research was initiated with support from ARO-MURI (DAAG55-97-1-0126) and completed with support from DARPA-PROM (ONR N00014-02-1-0839).

Additional details

Created:
August 19, 2023
Modified:
October 25, 2023