title: Phase diagram and effective shape of semiflexible colloidal rods and biopolymers.
abstract: We study suspensions of semiflexible colloidal rods and biopolymers using an Onsager-type second-virial functional for a segmented-chain model. For mixtures of thin and thick fd virus particles, we calculate full phase diagrams, finding quantitative agreement with experimental observations. We show that flexibility, which renders the rods effectively shorter and thicker depending on the state point, is crucial to understanding the topologies of the phase diagrams. We also calculate the stretching of wormlike micelles in a host fd virus suspension, finding agreement with experiments.
authors.affiliation: Soft Condensed Matter, Debye Institute for Nanomaterials Science, Utrecht University, Princetonplein 5, 3584 CC Utrecht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Dennison
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Dijkstra
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: van Roij
mesh_terms: D017104:Bacteriophage M13 / Q000737:chemistry; D001704:Biopolymers / Q000737:chemistry*; D003102:Colloids / Q000737:chemistry*; D008958:Models, Molecular; D009997:Osmotic Pressure; D011092:Polyethylene Glycols / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D001704:Biopolymers; D003102:Colloids; D011092:Polyethylene Glycols