Title | Scale-Dependent Stiffness and Internal Tension of a Model Brush Polymer. |
Publication Type | Journal Article |
Year of Publication | 2017 |
Authors | Berezney, John P., Amanda B. Marciel, Charles M. Schroeder, and Omar A. Saleh |
Journal | Phys Rev Lett |
Volume | 119 |
Issue | 12 |
Pagination | 127801 |
Date Published | 2017 Sep 22 |
ISSN | 1079-7114 |
Abstract | Bottle-brush polymers exhibit closely grafted side chains that interact by steric repulsion, thereby causing stiffening of the main polymer chain. We use single-molecule elasticity measurements of model brush polymers to quantify this effect. We find that stiffening is only significant on long length scales, with the main chain retaining flexibility on short scales. From the elasticity data, we extract an estimate of the internal tension generated by side-chain repulsion; this estimate is consistent with the predictions of blob-based scaling theories. |
DOI | 10.1103/PhysRevLett.119.127801 |
Alternate Journal | Phys. Rev. Lett. |
PubMed ID | 29341644 |