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Rheo‐optical characterization (flow‐birefringence and flow‐dichroism) of the Tobacco Mosaic Virus
Author(s) -
Reinhardt Ulf T.,
de Groot Eleanor L. Meyer,
Fuller Gerald G.,
Kulicke WernerMichael
Publication year - 1995
Publication title -
macromolecular chemistry and physics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.57
H-Index - 112
eISSN - 1521-3935
pISSN - 1022-1352
DOI - 10.1002/macp.1995.021960103
Subject(s) - flow birefringence , birefringence , tobacco mosaic virus , dichroism , dispersity , circular dichroism , shear flow , shear (geology) , chemistry , shear rate , materials science , crystallography , optics , rheology , polymer chemistry , thermodynamics , composite material , physics , virus , virology , biology
Rheo‐optical techniques of determining flow‐birefringence Δ n ′ and flow‐dichroism Δ n ″ were employed to investigate a Tobacco Mosaic Virus (TMV) solution under steady‐state and relaxation conditions to obtain further information about molecular dynamics in terms of local and global orientation and flexibility. These effects were investigated in a concentration range of 0,5 g/L ⩽ c ≦ 2,89 g/L, i.e. below and above the critical overlap concentration c * = 2,45 g/L. Although some aggregation was unavoidable it was determined that in the region of c * the dynamic behaviour was not influenced by varying the concentration. Furthermore it was shown that these aggregates naturally appearing in TMV are sensitive to shear force and dissolve at shear rates above 1 s −1 . Beyond the critical shear rate this rodlike molecule should show a good agreement of the orientation angles determined through dichroism and birefringence and a constant ratio Δ n ″/Δ n ′ which in fact was found. This reveals experimentally that in spite of the sensitivity to different length scales dichroism and birefringence exhibit similar responses to shear forces for rigid and monodisperse macromolecules.