Diffusion coefficient star polymer

Dendrimers have a star-like centre (functionality e.g. 4) in contrast to a star however, the ends of the polymer chains emerging from the centre again carry multifunctional centres that allow for a bifurcation into a new generation of chains. Multiple repetition of this sequence describes dendrimers of increasing generation number g. The dynamics of such objects has been addressed by Chen and Cai [305] using a semi-analytical treatment. They treat diffusion coefficients, intrinsic viscosities and the spectrum of internal modes. However, no expression for S(Q,t) was given, therefore, up to now the analysis of NSE data has stayed on a more elementary level. 

Linear polymers move a distance of order of their own size during their relaxation time, leading to a diffusion coefficient D R /r [Eq. (9.12)]. However, the diffusion of entangled stars is different because at the time scale of successful arm retraction, the branch point can only randomly hop between neighbouring entanglement cells by a distance of order one tube diameter a. For this reason, diffusion of an entangled star is much slower than diffusion of a linear polymer with the same number of monomers ... 

Entangled star polymers relax by arm retractions with relaxation times and viscosities exponentially large in the number of entanglements per arm NJNg [Eqs (9.58) and (9.61)]. This leads to exponentially small diffusion coefficients [Eq. (9.62)] for entangled star polymers. 

Consider a molecule made out of two /-arm stars with Kuhn segments per arm with junction points connected by a central linear strand of Abb Kuhn monomers. This molecule is called a pom-pom polymer. If/= 1, this molecule is linear, while the H-polymer corresponds to /=2. Estimate the /-dependence of relaxation time and diffusion coefficient of a melt of monodisperse pom-pom polymers for /> 1. Consider only single-chain modes and assume that the coordination number of an entanglement network is z. 

It should also be noted that a similar treatment is possible for the translational hydrodynamic radius, Rhj, obtained from measurements of translational diffusion coefficients or sedimentation coefficients of branched polymers. One may define a parameter gn = Rh,fb/Rhji - the ratio of the hydrodynamic radius of the branched polymer relative to that of a linear polymer of the same molecular weight. Again, it is expected that gH < 1. For star polymers with uniform subchain lengths having... 

Figure 37 Relative zero-shear viscosity (normalized to the solvent tis) as a function of the effective volume fraction

Dynamic light scattering from dilute solutions provides the value of the diffusion coefficient, which can be converted to hydrodynamic radius J h,star of the star polymer. The ratio Rh/(Rg) characterizes the compactness of the macromolecule for the uniform hard sphere impenettable for the flow, it is Rb/Rg= (5/3) 1.29, whereas for the Gaussian coil, Rh/(Rg) = 3a- / /8 0.66. For ideal stars (without excluded-volume interactions), the ratio Rh/(Rg) can be derived within the Kirkwood-Riseman approximation, which gives the value of Rh/(Rg) 0.93. Reported experimental values of the Rh/(Rg) ratio for star polymers and starlike block copolymer micelles are usually found close... 

Star polymers, indeed, have enormous viscosities and very low diffusion coefficients, reflecting the exponential dependence of the time for complete contraction on molecular weight. A time of 1600s, characterizing complete escape of a polyisoprene arm of molecular weight 100,000, has been observed. 

The dynamical behavior of macromolecules in solution is strongly affected or even dominated by hydrodynamic interactions [6,104,105]. Erom a theoretical point of view, scaling relations predicted by the Zimm model for, e.g., the dependencies of dynamical quantities on the length of the polymer are, in general, accepted and confirmed [106]. Recent advances in experimental single-molecule techniques provide insight into the dynamics of individual polymers, and raise the need for a quantitative theoretical description in order to determine molecular parameters such as diffusion coefficients and relaxation times. Mesoscale hydrodynamic simulations can be used to verify the validity of theoretical models. Even more, such simulations are especially valuable when analytical methods fail, as for more complicated molecules such as polymer brushes, stars, ultrasoft colloids, or semidilute solutions, where hydrodynamic interactions are screened to a certain degree. Here, mesoscale simulations still provide a full characterization of the polymer dynamics. 

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