Abstract
We compute the free energy of confinement for a flexible self-avoiding polymer inside a spherical cavity. Accurate numerical results allow us to arbitrate between three competing scaling predictions. For moderate confinement, the free energy exhibits a power-law dependence on cavity size that is different from what is observed for planar and cylindrical confinement. At high monomer concentrations, crossover to a different scaling regime is observed, consistent with the screening of the excluded-volume interactions. We demonstrate how our findings lead to a revised prediction for the escape time of a polymer from a spherical confinement.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 901-905 |
| Number of pages | 5 |
| Journal | Nano letters |
| Volume | 6 |
| Issue number | 5 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - May 1 2006 |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Bioengineering
- Chemistry(all)
- Materials Science(all)
- Condensed Matter Physics
- Mechanical Engineering
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Cite this
Cacciuto, A., & Luijten, E. (2006). Self-avoiding flexible polymers under spherical confinement. Nano letters, 6(5), 901-905. https://doi.org/10.1021/nl052351n