Dynamics of polymers in flowing colloidal suspensions.
Using hydrodynamic simulations we examine the behavior of single polymers in a confined colloidal suspension under flow. We study the conformations of both, collapsed and noncollapsed polymers. Our results show that the presence of the colloids has a pronounced effect on the unfolding and refolding cycles of collapsed polymers, but does not have a large effect for noncollapsed polymers. Further inspection of the conformations reveals that the strong flow around the colloids and the direct physical compressions exerted on a globular polymer diffusing in between colloidal shear bands largely facilitate the initiation and unraveling of the globular chains. These results are important for rheological studies of (bio)polymer-(bio)colloid mixtures.
Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA.
Hsieh
H
Chen
Alfredo
A
Alexander-Katz
D003102:Colloids / Q000737:chemistry*; D004058:Diffusion; D008968:Molecular Conformation; D011108:Polymers / Q000737:chemistry*; D012212:Rheology; D013535:Suspensions
D003102:Colloids; D011108:Polymers; D013535:Suspensions