Cooperative phase transitions in polymers with special reference to hyaldronate solutions

Abstract

A model of the cooperative conformational changes in hyaluronic acid in phosphate buffer is presented. Similar models offer a comprehensive theory for conformational changes in polymers with cooperative effects. The master equation of the stochastic theories of the Prigogine school can be related to both the bead necklace model under equilibrium conditions and a similar model exhibiting long range correlations under nonequilibrium conditions near a critical point. The model can also incorporate the concept of internal viscosity. For a conformational transition to occur, the system must either become dissipative (evolutionary phase transition) or the dissipative state already existing must dissolve (devolutionary phase transition). The synthesis presented in this paper offers a comprehensive theory for conformational changes in polymers.