title: The ultrasensitivity of living polymers.
abstract: Synthetic and biological living polymers are self-assembling chains whose chain length distributions (CLDs) are dynamic. We show these dynamics are ultrasensitive: Even a small perturbation (e.g., temperature jump) nonlinearly distorts the CLD, eliminating or massively augmenting short chains. The origin is fast relaxation of mass variables (mean chain length, monomer concentration) which perturbs CLD shape variables before these can relax via slow chain growth rate fluctuations. Viscosity relaxation predictions agree with experiments on the best-studied synthetic system, alpha-methylstyrene.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Engineering, Columbia University, New York, New York 10027, USA.
authors.forename: Ben
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: O'Shaughnessy
authors.forename: Dimitrios
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Vavylonis
mesh_terms: D001704:Biopolymers / Q000737:chemistry*; D007700:Kinetics; D008956:Models, Chemical; D011108:Polymers / Q000737:chemistry*; D013343:Styrenes / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D001704:Biopolymers; D011108:Polymers; D013343:Styrenes; C027142:vinyltoluene