title: Universal scaling for polymer chain scission in turbulence.
abstract: We report that previous polymer chain scission experiments in strong flows, long analyzed according to accepted laminar flow scission theories, were in fact affected by turbulence. We reconcile existing anomalies between theory and experiment with the hypothesis that the local stress at the Kolmogorov scale generates the molecular tension leading to polymer covalent bond breakage. The hypothesis yields a universal scaling for polymer scission in turbulent flows. This surprising reassessment of over 40 years of experimental data simplifies the theoretical picture of polymer dynamics leading to scission and allows control of scission in commercial polymers and genomic DNA.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Engineering, Macromolecular Science and Engineering Program, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48103, USA.
authors.forename: Siva A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Vanapalli
authors.forename: Steven L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Ceccio
authors.forename: Michael J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Solomon
mesh_terms: D055592:Biophysical Phenomena; D001703:Biophysics; D002616:Chemical Engineering; D004247:DNA / Q000737:chemistry; D008956:Models, Chemical; D011108:Polymers / Q000737:chemistry*; D012212:Rheology
chemical_list: D011108:Polymers; D004247:DNA