Phase behavior of correlated random copolymers

Patyukova, Elena; Xi, Erte; Wilson, Mark

Abstract

In this work, we calculate Flory-Huggins phase diagrams for correlated random copolymers. We achieve it in two steps. At first, we derive a distribution function of two-letter A, B copolymer chains depending on the fraction of A-segments and ABduplets. Then we use the method of moments, which was developed by Sollich and Cates [Sollich, P.; Cates, M. E.; Phys. Rev. Lett. 1998, 80, 1365–1368] for polydisperse systems, to reduce the number of degrees of freedom of the computational problem and calculate phase diagrams. We explore how the location of transition points and composition of coexisting phases depends on fractions of A-segments and AB-duplets in a sequence and the degree of polymerization. The proposed approach allows taking into account fractionation, which was shown to affect the appearance of phase diagrams of statistical copolymers.

Citation

Patyukova, E., Xi, E., & Wilson, M. (2021). Phase behavior of correlated random copolymers. Macromolecules, 54(6), 2763-2773. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.macromol.0c02840

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Feb 22, 2021
• Online Publication Date: Mar 10, 2021
• Publication Date: Mar 23, 2021
• Deposit Date: Mar 4, 2021
• Publicly Available Date: Dec 15, 2021
• Journal: Macromolecules
• Print ISSN: 0024-9297
• Electronic ISSN: 1520-5835
• Publisher: American Chemical Society
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 54
• Issue: 6
• Pages: 2763-2773
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.macromol.0c02840
• Public URL: https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1279690