Crowded, confined, and frustrated: dynamics of molecules tethered to nanoparticles.
Above a critical chemistry-dependent molecular weight, all polymer molecules entangle and, as a result, exhibit slow dynamics, enhanced viscosity, and elasticity. Herein we report on the dynamics of low molecular weight polymers tethered to nanoparticles and find that even conventionally unentangled chains manifest dynamical features similar to entangled, long-chain molecules. Our findings are shown to imply that crowding and confinement of polymers on particles produce topological constraints analogous to those in entangled systems.
Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14850, USA.
Praveen
P
Agarwal
Sung A
SA
Kim
Lynden A
LA
Archer
D008956:Models, Chemical; D008970:Molecular Weight; D053758:Nanoparticles / Q000737:chemistry*; D011108:Polymers / Q000737:chemistry*
D011108:Polymers