Semiflexible Polymer Chains

Characterization of Semiflexible Polymers

The fundamental statistical mechanics, persistence length definitions, and scaling behaviors of semiflexible polymer chains are analyzed. By performing extensive Monte Carlo simulations, this work explores the complex crossover between chain stiffness and excluded volume effects, highlighting the limitations of classical theoretical frameworks like the Kratky-Porod worm-like chain model across different dimensions.

Reevaluating Definitions of Chain Stiffness: Demonstrating that standard textbook definitions of persistence length fail to capture the local, intrinsic stiffness of real polymer chains due to the persistent influence of excluded volume interactions.

"Standard Definitions of Persistence Length Do Not Describe the Local ``Intrinsic'' Stiffness of Real Polymer Chains", Macromolecules 43, 3094 (2010)

Excluded Volume and Crossover Scaling: Analyzing the subtle crossover from flexible self-avoiding walks to worm-like chains, showing how excluded volume screening impacts scattering functions and responses to external stretching forces.

"Estimation of Persistence Lengths of Semiflexible Polymers: Insight from Simulations" , Polym. Sci. Ser. C 55, 39 (2013)
"Scattering Function of Semiflexible Polymer Chains under Good Solvent Conditions" , J. Chem. Phys. 137, 174902 (2012).
"Stretching Semiflexible Polymer Chains: Evidence for the Importance of Excluded Volume Effects from Monte Carlo Simulation", J. Chem. Phys. 136, 024901 (2012).

"Polymer Chain Stiffness versus Excluded Volume: A Monte Carlo Study of the Crossover Towards the Wormlike Chain Model", Europhys. Lett. 92, 28003 (2010).

Dimensionality and Model Breakdown: Providing evidence for the complete breakdown of the traditional Kratky-Porod worm-like chain model when applied to semiflexible polymers confined to two dimensions.

"Breakdown of the Kratky-Porod Worm-Like Chain Model for Semiflexible Polymers in Two Dimensions", Europhys. Lett. 95, 68004 (2011).