Generalized conservation law for main-chain polymer nematics

Daniel Svenšek and Rudolf Podgornik
Phys. Rev. E 93, 052703 – Published 19 May 2016

Abstract

We explore the implications of the conservation law(s) and the corresponding so-called continuity equation(s), resulting from the coupling between the positional and the orientational order in main-chain polymer nematics, by showing that the vectorial and tensorial forms of these equations are in general not equivalent and cannot be reduced to one another, but neither are they disjoint alternatives. We analyze the relation between them and elucidate the fundamental role that the chain backfolding plays in the determination of their relative strength and importance. Finally, we show that the correct penalty potential in the effective free energy, implementing these conservation laws, should actually connect both the tensorial and the vectorial constraints. We show that the consequences of the polymer chains' connectivity for their consistent mesoscopic description are thus not only highly nontrivial but that its proper implementation is absolutely crucial for a consistent coarse-grained description of the main-chain polymer nematics.

  • Figure
  • Received 25 January 2016

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevE.93.052703

©2016 American Physical Society

Physics Subject Headings (PhySH)

  1. Research Areas
  1. Physical Systems
Polymers & Soft Matter

Authors & Affiliations

Daniel Svenšek1 and Rudolf Podgornik1,2,3

  • 1Department of Physics, Faculty of Mathematics and Physics, University of Ljubljana, Jadranska 19, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
  • 2Department of Theoretical Physics, Jožef Stefan Institute, Jamova 39, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
  • 3Department of Physics, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Massachusetts 01003, USA

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Issue

Vol. 93, Iss. 5 — May 2016

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