Modelling a tethered polymer loop : shape and thickness compressibility
department or school: Science, Faculty of
department or school: Physics and Astronomy, Department of
data provider: DSpace
degree campus: UBCV
creator: Wong, Wesley Philip
issued: 2009-08-06T19:25:28Z
issued: 2001
related degree: Master of Science - MSc
degree grantor: University of British Columbia
description: A Monte Carlo simulation was used to investigate the thickness compressibility and shape properties of a tethered polymer loop. Specifically, the dependence on chain length, bending stiffness (i.e. persistence length) and excluded volume interactions was examined. Power law relationships were determined when appropriate. For a flexible phantom chain of 90 segments, reasonably good agreement was found with the predictions of an analytical random flight model based on the diffusion equation. By examining the transition from flexible to semi-flexible, rough bounds were placed on the domain in which a worm-like chain can be well described by an equivalent freely jointed chain. As the bending stiffness was increased but the contour length held fixed, the polymer loop crossed over into the "stiff elastic rod" regime. This was marked by a change in the relationship between force and gap distance, as well as an alteration of shape properties. Finally, the single polymer loop model was compared to a simulation of the red blood cell spectrin network by Boal [1]. Many of the features of network geometry and elastic thickness compliance could be well approximated by the single chain model.
aggregated CHO: https://circle.library.ubc.ca/rest/handle/2429/11923
extent: 5473803 bytes
format: application/pdf
note: Modelling a Tethered Polymer Loop: Shape and thickness compressibility by Wesley Philip Wong B.Sc, The University of British Columbia, 1999 A THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL F U L F I L M E N T OF T H E REQUIREMENTS FOR T H E D E G R E E OF M A S T E R OF SCIENCE in T H E F A C U L T Y OF G R A D U A T E STUDIES (Department of Physics and Astronomy) We accept this thesis as conforming to the required standard T H E UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA September 26, 2001 © Wesley'Philip Wong, 2001 In presenting this thesis in partial fulfilment of the requirements for an ad-vanced degree at the University of British Columbia, I agree that the Library shall make it freely available for reference and study. I further agree that permission for extensive copying of this thesis for scholarly purposes may be granted by the head of my department or by his or her representatives. It is understood that copying or publication of this thesis for financial gain shall not be allowed without my written permission. Department of Physics and Astronomy The University of British Columbia Vancouver, Canada Abstract ii ABSTRACT A Monte Carlo simulation was used to investigate the thickness compress-ibility and shape properties of a tethered polymer loop. Specifically, the dependence on chain length, bending stiffness (i.e. persistence length) and excluded volume interactions was examined. Power law relationships were determined when appropriate. For a flexible phantom chain of 90 segments, reasonably good agreement was found with the predictions of an analytical random flight model based on the diffusion equation. By examining the transition from flexible to semi-flexible, rough bounds were placed on the domain in which a worm-like chain can be well described by an equivalent freely jointed chain. As the bending stiffness was increased but the contour length held fixed, the polymer loop crossed over into the "stiff elastic rod" regime. This was marked by a change in the relationship between force…
has type: Thesis/Dissertation
date issued: 2001-11
is shown at: 10.14288/1.0090002
language: eng
degree discipline: Physics
provider: Vancouver : University of British Columbia Library
publisher: University of British Columbia
rights: For non-commercial purposes only, such as research, private study and education. Additional conditions apply, see Terms of Use https://open.library.ubc.ca/terms_of_use.
scholar level: Graduate
type: Text
identifier URI: http://hdl.handle.net/2429/11923