Macromolecules· 2026Q1
Polymer Knots in Thin Slit-Confined Melts: Thickness Dependence, Local Effects, and Stiffness
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- Q1SCImago
- 2026year
Short summary
Polymer knotting probability in slit-confined melts peaks at intermediate thicknesses (h ≈ Rg,bulk) and vanishes at small h, while entanglement length increases and conformations flatten near boundaries.
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Key points
- Knotting probability in slit-confined polymer melts peaks at intermediate thicknesses (h ≈ Rg,bulk).
- Knotting probability vanishes at small slit thicknesses (h) and approaches bulk values at large h.
- Entanglement length increases monotonically with decreasing slit thickness.
- Polymer conformations become increasingly flattened as slit thickness decreases.
- Knotting is enhanced in polymer layers close to the slit boundaries.
AI-generated from the title and abstract; the full text is not read.
Abstract
Abstract We study how confinement affects topology and conformations in flexible and semiflexible slit-confined polymer melts of varying thickness h. The knotting probability exhibits a maximum at intermediate thicknesses near the bulk radius of gyration h ≈ Rg,bulk, vanishes at small h, and approaches bulk values for large h. While knotting is enhanced close to boundaries, the entanglement length increases monotonically and conformations become increasingly flattened. A layer-resolved analysis of structural and topological properties allows us to reconstruct the explicit thickness dependencies by integrating layer-resolved properties of a thick slit.
The authors' abstract, as published at the source. Macromolecules, 2026 · DOI ↗
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Field: Geometry and Topology
Geometry and TopologyMathematics