Designing enhanced entropy binding in single-chain nano particles

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates that by designing reactive monomer patterns in single-chain nanoparticles, one can induce a fully-entropic gas-liquid phase separation, enabling control over polymer binding and network formation.

Contribution

It introduces a novel design strategy for controlling entropy-driven phase separation in single-chain nanoparticles through reactive monomer patterning.

Findings

Phase separation can be fully entropic in SCNP systems.

Monomer pattern design controls phase transition.

Balance of entropic contributions governs binding sensitivity.

Abstract

Single-chain nanoparticles (SCNP) are a new class of bio and soft-matter polymeric objects in which a fraction of the monomers are able to form equivalently intra- or inter-polymer bonds. Here we numerically show that a fully-entropic gas-liquid phase separation can take place in SCNP systems. Control over the discontinuous (first-order) change -- from a phase of independent diluted (fully-bonded) polymers to a phase in which polymers entropically bind to each other to form a (fully-bonded) polymer network -- can be achieved by a judicious design of the patterns of reactive monomers along the polymer chain. Such a sensitivity arises from a delicate balance between the distinct entropic contributions controlling the binding.