Dynamics of semiflexible regular hyperbranched polymers

J Chem Phys. 2013 Jan 21;138(3):034904. doi: 10.1063/1.4775584.

Abstract

We study the dynamics of semiflexible Vicsek fractals (SVF) following the framework established by Dolgushev and Blumen [J. Chem. Phys. 131, 044905 (2009)], a scheme which allows to model semiflexible treelike polymers of arbitrary architecture. We show, extending the methods used in the treatment of semiflexible dendrimers by Fürstenberg et al. [J. Chem. Phys. 136, 154904 (2012)], that in this way the Langevin-dynamics of SVF can be treated to a large part analytically. For this we show for arbitrary Vicsek fractals (VF) how to construct complete sets of eigenvectors; these reduce considerably the diagonalization problem of the corresponding equations of motion. In fact, such eigenvector sets arise naturally from a hierarchical procedure which follows the iterative construction of the VF. We use the obtained eigenvalues to calculate the loss moduli G(")(ω) of SVF for different degrees of stiffness of the junctions. Finally, we compare the results for SVF to those found for semiflexible dendrimers.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Models, Molecular
  • Polymers / chemistry*
  • Quantum Theory*

Substances

  • Polymers