Rheology and polymer dynamics: simulation of conformation and dynamics at rest and under flow

Summary:

We have a long-standing interest on the basic problem of the dynamics of long polymer chains in solution, that is determined by the interplay of various complex aspects such as chain conformation statistics, hydrodynamic interactions, etc. Particulary interesting cases are those of non-linear chains: rings, stars, dendrimeric and hyperbranched molecules, etc. Special relevance, in practical situation, has the rheology of such polymer systems, i.e., their behavior (dynamics, deformation, and even fracture) in strong flows. This includes from the use of polymer additives in oil recovery to the fracture of very long, chromosomal-size DNA molecules during routine laboratory procedures, such as simple pipetting. The very recent developments in single-molecule techniques and microfluidics make these problems of even more actual relevance

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