Analysis Of Polymer Systems Research Articles

Phase separation in soft repulsive polymer mixtures: foundation and implication for chromatin organization.

Given the wide range of length scales, the analysis of polymer systems often requires coarse-graining, for which various levels of description may be possible depending on the phenomenon under consideration. Here, we provide a super-coarse grained description, where polymers are represented as a succession of mesosopic soft beads which are allowed to overlap with others. We then investigate the phase separation behaviors in a mixture of such homopolymers based on mean-field theory, and discuss universal aspects of the miscibility phase diagram in comparison with the numerical simulation. We also discuss an extension of our analysis to mixtures involving random copolymers, which might be interesting in the context of chromatin organization in a cell nucleus.

Cover Picture: Macromol. Symp. 230/2005

Cover: The European Symposia on Polymer Spectroscopy (ESOPS) are held biennially to review the latest research and development in the application of spectroscopy to the characterization and analysis of polymer systems. All types of spectroscopy are welcome. ESOPS has become the leading European meeting in polymer spectroscopy attracting participants from all over the world. The symposium brings together scientists specialized in different spectroscopic techniques, giving them the opportunity to broaden their minds beyond their individual specializations.