Torsional potential functions 282 Subject

In the previous section, the adaptation of the RIS model was based on the distance between next-nearest neighbor beads. This approach is obviously inadequate for CH3-CHX-CH2-CHX-CH3, because it necessarily abandons the ability to attribute different conformational characteristics to the meso and racemo stereoisomers. Therefore a more robust adaption of the RIS model to the 2nnd lattice is necessary if one wants to investigate the influence of stereochemical composition and stereochemical sequence on vinyl polymers [156]. Here we describe a method that has this capability. Of course, this method retains the ability to treat chains such as PE in which the bonds are subject to symmetric torsion potential energy functions. 

Fig. 3.7. A united-atom PE chain constituted of 100 united atoms mapped around a stream line. The bond angles as well as the bond lengths have been kept fixed. The torsion angles have been subject to a minimization considering a three-fold potential accounting for the simplified chemical structure of the chain. An additional proximity function has been used to force the chain to follow the trajectory of the stream line [114]...

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