Self-diffusion in binary blends of cyclic and linear polymers

TL;DR

This study uses a lattice model and experimental data to analyze how cyclic and linear polymers diffuse in blends, revealing that constraints from linear chains significantly affect cyclic polymer mobility.

Contribution

It introduces a minimal physical model explaining cyclic polymer diffusion in blends, supported by simulations and experimental data across various conditions.

Findings

Constraints from linear chains hinder cyclic polymer diffusion

The minimal model accurately predicts diffusion behavior

Simulation and experimental results are consistent across conditions

Abstract

A lattice model is used to estimate the self-diffusivity of entangled cyclic and linear polymers in blends of varying compositions. To interpret simulation results, we suggest a minimal model based on the physical idea that constraints imposed on a cyclic polymer by infiltrating linear chains have to be released, before it can diffuse beyond a radius of gyration. Both, the simulation, and recently reported experimental data on entangled DNA solutions support the simple model over a wide range of blend compositions, concentrations, and molecular weights.