Kinetics of collapse for a flexible coil

P.-G. de Gennes (1)

1 LPMC - Laboratoire de Physique de la Matière Condensée

If a polymer chain is transferred abruptly from θ conditions to bad solvent conditions (e.g. by a shift of temperature ΔT) it collapses with a certain characteristic time τc. We propose a scaling structure for τc, based on an « expanding sausage model », and taking into account the hydrodynamic interactions. We find that τ c ≅ τR ΔT/θ where τR is the Rouse time of the θ chain : the time τc increases with the depth of quench.

Mots clés: polymer solutions; polymer structure; polymers; surface energy; theta conditions; temperature shift; collapse kinetics; expanding sausage model; theta chain; quench depth; interfacial energy; flexible coil; polymer chain; bad solvent conditions; characteristic time; scaling structure; hydrodynamic interactions; Rouse time

Domaines: Articles anciens

P.-G. de Gennes. Kinetics of collapse for a flexible coil. Journal de Physique Lettres, 1985, 46 (14), pp.639-642. ⟨10.1051/jphyslet:019850046014063900⟩. ⟨jpa-00232573⟩