Paper Number
PO36
Session
Poster Session
Title
Direct visualization of comb polymer dynamics in semi-dilute solutions using single molecule studies
Presentation Date and Time
October 17, 2018 (Wednesday) 6:30
Track / Room
Poster Session / Woodway II/III
Authors
- Patel, Shivani F. (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering)
- Schroeder, Charles M. (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering)
Author and Affiliation Lines
Shivani F. Patel and Charles M. Schroeder
Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801
Speaker / Presenter
Patel, Shivani F.
Text of Abstract
Branched polymers play a key role in modern technology and advanced materials. Despite their increasing importance, our current understanding of the non-equilibrium dynamic behavior of these topologically complex polymers is limited and is largely based on bulk rheological and experimental scattering data. Owing to their complex molecular architectures, comb-shaped polymers exhibit rich dynamic behavior that is not fully understood at the molecular level. To address this, we study the dynamics of single branched polymers in non-dilute solutions using single-molecule fluorescence microscopy (SMFM). In particular, we use a hybrid enzymatic-synthetic approach to synthesize DNA-based branched polymers (comb polymers) that contain a long backbone with multiple side branches grafted at various positions. Following synthesis, we directly study the relaxation dynamics of single comb polymers in non-dilute solutions of linear unlabeled polymers in extensional flow and compare them to the dynamics of comb polymers in ultra-dilute solutions. These studies are extended to transient stretching and steady-state stretching dynamics, as well. Interestingly, the dynamic behavior of comb polymers is markedly different in non-dilute polymer solutions, which reveals changes in molecular-scale dynamics due to chain branching and chain-chain intermolecular interactions. We further study the effects of background concentration and polymer topology on comb polymer dynamics in order to elucidate the non-equilibrium behavior of topologically complex polymers. Overall, our work shows that single polymer dynamics can be used to provide a direct link between polymer microstructure and bulk rheological properties.