Scattering from Star Polymers including Excluded Volume Effects

TL;DR

This paper introduces a new model for star polymer scattering that accounts for excluded volume effects, aligning well with experimental SANS data and linking global shape to branch stiffness.

Contribution

A novel model for star polymer form factor incorporating excluded volume effects derived from correlation functions.

Findings

Model accurately describes SANS data for star polymers.

Explicitly links global conformation to branch stiffness.

Provides better understanding of polymer structure in good solvents.

Abstract

In this work we present a new model for the form factor of a star polymer consisting of self-avoiding branches. This new model incorporates excluded volume effects and is derived from the two point correlation function for a star polymer.. We compare this model to small angle neutron scattering (SANS) measurements from polystyrene (PS) stars immersed in a good solvent, tetrahydrofuran (THF). It is shown that this model provides a good description of the scattering signature originating from the excluded volume effect and it explicitly elucidates the connection between the global conformation of a star polymer and the local stiffness of its constituent branch.