Shear-flow-induced unfolding of polymeric globules
- PMID: 17026077
- DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.97.138101
Shear-flow-induced unfolding of polymeric globules
Abstract
The behavior of a single collapsed polymer under shear flow is examined using hydrodynamic simulations and scaling arguments. Below a threshold shear rate gamma[.]{*}, the chain remains collapsed and only deforms slightly, while above gamma[.]{*} the globule exhibits unfolding/refolding cycles. Hydrodynamics are crucial: In the free draining case, gamma[.]{*} scales with the globule radius R as gamma[.]{*} approximately R{-1}, while in the presence of hydrodynamic interactions gamma[.]{*} approximately R. Experiments on the globular von Willebrand protein confirm the presence of an unfolding transition at a well-defined critical shear rate.
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