Threading Dynamics of Ring Polymers in a Gel. 2014

Davide Michieletto, and Davide Marenduzzo, and Enzo Orlandini, and Gareth P Alexander, and Matthew S Turner
Department of Physics and Complexity Centre, University of Warwick, Coventry CV4 7AL, United Kingdom.

We perform large scale three-dimensional molecular dynamics simulations of unlinked and unknotted ring polymers diffusing through a background gel, here a three-dimensional cubic lattice. Taking advantage of this architecture, we propose a new method to unambiguously identify and quantify inter-ring threadings (penetrations) and to relate these to the dynamics of the ring polymers. We find that both the number and the persistence time of the threadings increase with the length of the chains, ultimately leading to a percolating network of inter-ring penetrations. We discuss the implications of these findings for the possible emergence of a topological jammed state of very long rings.

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