Polymer collapse in supercritical solvents

Dua, Arti and Cherayil, Binny J (1999) Polymer collapse in supercritical solvents. In: Journal of Chemical Physics, The, 111 (7). pp. 3274-3277.

PDF Polymer_collapse_in_supercritical.pdf - Published Version Restricted to Registered users only Download (60kB) | Request a copy

Abstract

We show analytically that in dilute solutions of high molecular weight polymers, a collapse transition of the chain can be induced by proximity to the critical point of the solvent. The transition is driven by the fluctuations in the medium, which lead to an effective attractive interaction of long range between different parts of the polymer. At the critical point itself, however, the chain adopts the same average conformations that characterize its size in the off-critical limit. In other words, on approach to the critical point, the polymer is found first to contract and collapse, and then subsequently to return to its original dimensions. This behavior has recently been observed in simulations of polymer-solvent mixtures near the lower critical solution temperature of the system, and it is also known to be characteristic of solutions of polymers in bicomponent solvent mixtures near the critical consolute point of the two solvents. (C) 1999 American Institute of Physics. [S0021-9606(99)50431-5].

Item Type:	Journal Article
Publication:	Journal of Chemical Physics, The
Publisher:	American Institute of Physics
Additional Information:	Copyright of this article belongs to American Institute of Physics.
Department/Centre:	Division of Chemical Sciences > Inorganic & Physical Chemistry
Date Deposited:	28 Jun 2011 08:57
Last Modified:	28 Jun 2011 08:57
URI:	http://eprints.iisc.ac.in/id/eprint/38727

Actions (login required)

View Item