Chinese Physics B, Volume. 29, Issue 10, (2020)
Distribution of a polymer chain between two interconnected spherical cavities
The equilibrium distribution of a polymer chain between two interconnected spherical cavities (a small one with radius Rs and a large one with radius Rl) is studied by using Monte Carlo simulation. A conformational transition from a double-cavity-occupation (DCO) state to a single-cavity-occupation (SCO) state is observed. The dependence of the critical radius of the small cavity (RsC) where the transition occurs on Rl and the polymer length N can be described by RsC∝N1/3Rl1-1/3ν with ν being the Flory exponent, and meanwhile the equilibrium number (ms) of monomers in the small cavity for the DCO phase can be expressed as ms = N/((Rl/Rs)3 + 1), which can be quantitatively understood by using the blob picture. Moreover, in the SCO phase, the polymer is found to prefer staying in the large cavity.
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Chao Wang, Ying-Cai Chen, Shuang Zhang, Hang-Kai Qi, Meng-Bo Luo. Distribution of a polymer chain between two interconnected spherical cavities[J]. Chinese Physics B, 2020, 29(10):
Received: Jul. 6, 2020
Accepted: --
Published Online: Apr. 21, 2021
The Author Email: Wang Chao (luomengbo@zju.edu.cn)