Unknown

Dataset Information

0

Topological Linking Drives Anomalous Thickening of Ring Polymers in Weak Extensional Flows.


ABSTRACT: Molecular dynamics simulations confirm recent extensional flow experiments showing ring polymer melts exhibit strong extension-rate thickening of the viscosity at Weissenberg numbers Wi?1. Thickening coincides with the extreme elongation of a minority population of rings that grows with Wi. The large susceptibility of some rings to extend is due to a flow-driven formation of topological links that connect multiple rings into supramolecular chains. Links form spontaneously with a longer delay at lower Wi and are pulled tight and stabilized by the flow. Once linked, these composite objects experience larger drag forces than individual rings, driving their strong elongation. The fraction of linked rings depends nonmonotonically on Wi, increasing to a maximum when Wi?1 before rapidly decreasing when the strain rate approaches 1/?_{e}.

SUBMITTER: O'Connor TC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7190399 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

altmetric image

Publications

Topological Linking Drives Anomalous Thickening of Ring Polymers in Weak Extensional Flows.

O'Connor Thomas C TC   Ge Ting T   Rubinstein Michael M   Grest Gary S GS  

Physical review letters 20200101 2


Molecular dynamics simulations confirm recent extensional flow experiments showing ring polymer melts exhibit strong extension-rate thickening of the viscosity at Weissenberg numbers Wi≪1. Thickening coincides with the extreme elongation of a minority population of rings that grows with Wi. The large susceptibility of some rings to extend is due to a flow-driven formation of topological links that connect multiple rings into supramolecular chains. Links form spontaneously with a longer delay at  ...[more]

Similar Datasets

| S-EPMC7696204 | biostudies-literature
| S-EPMC9636914 | biostudies-literature
| S-EPMC8149841 | biostudies-literature
| S-EPMC5216121 | biostudies-literature
| S-EPMC7544501 | biostudies-literature
| S-EPMC10412595 | biostudies-literature
| S-EPMC4908590 | biostudies-literature
| S-EPMC6940393 | biostudies-literature
| S-EPMC5114601 | biostudies-literature
| S-EPMC5376173 | biostudies-literature