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Onsager chains: Semi‐flexible polymers revisited
Author(s) -
Mulder Bela
Publication year - 1994
Publication title -
macromolecular symposia
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.257
H-Index - 76
eISSN - 1521-3900
pISSN - 1022-1360
DOI - 10.1002/masy.19940810132
Subject(s) - isotropy , chain (unit) , limit (mathematics) , flexibility (engineering) , phase (matter) , statistical physics , stiffness , stability (learning theory) , distribution function , polymer , excluded volume , density functional theory , physics , materials science , mathematics , thermodynamics , mathematical analysis , computer science , quantum mechanics , statistics , nuclear magnetic resonance , machine learning
Abstract Using a density functional approach we derive the equations describing the equilibrium orientational distribution of a system of chains composed of elongated segments that interact with segments located on other chains through excluded volume interactions and with neighbouring segments of the same chain through a potential that determines the chain flexibility. We analytically determine the limit of stability of the low density isotropic phase as a function of the number of segments and the chain stiffness. The approach turns out to be formally equivalent to a recently proposed mean‐field theory by Petschek and Terentjev. Comparison with the Khoklov‐Semenov theory shows that the latter is based on an additional assumption that is not valid in an orientationally ordered phase.