Scattering from Colloid-Polymer Conjugates with Excluded Volume Effect

TL;DR

This paper develops a scattering model for colloid-polymer conjugates considering excluded volume effects, linking their global conformation to microstructure, and matches experimental data.

Contribution

It introduces a new scattering function model for colloid-polymer conjugates that accounts for shape and stiffness effects, enhancing understanding of their conformations.

Findings

Model accurately describes experimental scattering signatures.

Provides insights into the relationship between macrostructure and microstructure.

Accounts for shape and stiffness variations in conjugates.

Abstract

In this work we present scattering functions of conjugates consisting of a colloid particle and a self-avoiding polymer chain. This model is directly derived from the two point correlation function with the inclusion of excluded volume effects. The dependence of the calculated scattering function on the geometric shapes of the colloid and polymer stiffness is investigated. In comparison to existing experimental results, our model is found to be able to describe the scattering signature of the colloid-polymer conjugates and provide additional conformational information. This model explicitly elucidates the link between the global conformation of a conjugate and the microstructure of its constituent components.