Collapse of Telechelic Star Polymers to Water-Melon Structures

TL;DR

This paper investigates the conformational transition of low-functionality telechelic star polymers from star-like to watermelon-shaped structures using simulation and analytical theory.

Contribution

It provides a detailed analysis of how functionality and polymerization influence the collapse transition in telechelic star polymers, including partially collapsed states.

Findings

Transition temperature depends on functionality and polymerization number.

All attractive monomers aggregate at a single site below transition temperature.

Extensions to partially collapsed configurations are discussed.

Abstract

Conformational properties of star-shaped polymer aggregates that carry attractive end-groups, called telechelic star polymers, are investigated by simulation and analytical variational theory. We focus on the case of low telechelic star polymer functionalities, $f \leq 5$, a condition which allows aggregation of all attractive monomers on one site. We establish the functionality- and polymerization-number dependence of the transition temperature from the "star burst'' to the "water melon" macroparticle structure. Extensions to telechelic stars featuring partially collapsed configurations are also discussed.