Packing structure of semiflexible rings

Gómez LR, García NA, Pöschel T (2020)

Publication Type: Journal article

Publication year: 2020

Journal

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America National Academy of Sciences

Book Volume: 117

Pages Range: 3382-3387

Journal Issue: 7

DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1914268117

Abstract

Unraveling the packing structure of dense assemblies of semiflexible rings is not only fundamental for the dynamical description of polymer rings, but also key to understand biopackaging, such as observed in circular DNA of viruses or genome folding. Here we use X-ray tomography to study the geometrical and topological features of disordered packings of rubber bands in a cylindrical container. Assemblies of short bands assume a liquid-like disordered structure, with short-range orientational order, and reveal only minor influence of the container. In the case of longer bands, the confinement causes folded configurations and the bands interpenetrate and entangle. Most of the systems are found to display a threading network which percolates the system. Surprisingly, for long bands whose diameter is more than twice the diameter of the container, we found that all bands interpenetrate each other, in a complex fully entangled structure.

Authors with CRIS profile

Thorsten Pöschel Lehrstuhl für Multiscale Simulation of Particulate Systems

Involved external institutions

Universidad Nacional del Sur AR Argentina (AR) Institute Laue-Langevin (ILL) FR France (FR)

How to cite

APA:

Gómez, L.R., García, N.A., & Pöschel, T. (2020). Packing structure of semiflexible rings. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 117(7), 3382-3387. https://dx.doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1914268117

MLA:

Gómez, Leopoldo R., Nicolás A. García, and Thorsten Pöschel. "Packing structure of semiflexible rings." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 117.7 (2020): 3382-3387.

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