Chremos A, Horkay F. Coexistence of Crumpling and Flat Sheet Conformations in Two-Dimensional Polymer Networks: An Understanding of Aggrecan Self-Assembly.
PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 2023;
131:138101. [PMID:
37832020 DOI:
10.1103/physrevlett.131.138101]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2023] [Revised: 07/12/2023] [Accepted: 09/08/2023] [Indexed: 10/15/2023]
Abstract
We investigate the conformational properties of self-avoiding two-dimensional (2D) ideal polymer networks with tunable mesh sizes as a model of self-assembled structures formed by aggrecan. Polymer networks having few branching points and large enough mesh tend to crumple, resulting in a fractal dimension of d_{f}≈2.7. The flat sheet behavior (d_{f}=2) emerges in 2D polymer networks having more branching points at large length scales; however, it coexists with crumpling conformations at intermediate length scales, a feature found in scattering profiles of aggrecan solutions. Our findings bridge the long-standing gap between theories and simulations of polymer sheets.
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