Mixing Linear Polymers with Rings and Catenanes: Bulk and Interfacial Behavior

Author(s)
Roman Staňo, Christos N. Likos, Sergei A. Egorov
Abstract

We derive and parameterize effective interaction potentials between a multitude of different types of ring polymers and linear chains, varying the bending rigidity and solvent quality for the former species. We further develop and apply a density functional treatment for mixtures of both disconnected (chain-ring) and connected (chain-polycatenane) mixtures of the same, drawing coexistence binodals and exploring the ensuing response functions as well as the interface and wetting behavior of the mixtures. We show that worsening of the solvent quality for the rings brings about a stronger propensity for macroscopic phase separation in the linear-polycatenane mixtures, which is predominantly of the demixing type between phases of similar overall particle density. We formulate a simple criterion based on the effective interactions, allowing us to determine whether any specific linear-ring mixture will undergo a demixing phase separation.

Organisation(s)
Computational and Soft Matter Physics, Research Platform Erwin Schrödinger International Institute for Mathematics and Physics
External organisation(s)
University of Virginia
Journal
Macromolecules
Volume
56
Pages
8168-8182
No. of pages
15
ISSN
0024-9297
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.macromol.3c01267
Publication date
10-2023
Peer reviewed
Yes
Austrian Fields of Science 2012
103023 Polymer physics
ASJC Scopus subject areas
Organic Chemistry, Polymers and Plastics, Inorganic Chemistry, Materials Chemistry
Portal url
https://ucrisportal.univie.ac.at/en/publications/dc3d2fff-f348-4008-a6da-ccc7188fda37