Physical principles of polymer self-organisation: engineering of AB-Copolymers

Project Information

Grant agreement ID: INTAS-1997-00678

Project closed

Start date 1 January 1999

End date 31 December 2001

Funded under

• International Association for the promotion of cooperation with scientists from the independent states of the former Soviet Union (INTAS), 1993-

Total cost No data

EU contribution € 100 413,00

Coordinated by

Wageningen Agricultural University
Netherlands

Objective

The proposed project is devoted to the problem of physical principles of polymer self-organization. The main goal of this research project is to investigate the behaviour of copolymer chains with specially designed primarily sequences of different monomeric units. Recently a new method of computer design for specific primary sequences of AB-copolymer chains consisting of monomeric units of two different types (A and B) was proposed by the authors of the current project. The main idea is to use some particular "parent" conformation of a homopolymer chain (for example, the conformation of a polymer globule, or the conformation of a polymer chain adsorbed on a planar surface or on a spherical particle, or some other specific conformation). The procedure assigns a different type (A or B) to particular monomeric units, depending on the spatial position of this monomeric unit in the "parent" conformation ("colouring" procedure).

For example, the A-type can be assigned to monomeric units, which lie on the surface of a homopolymer globule, and the B-type to the monomeric units inside the globular core. The chains formed by this technique memorize some important structural features of the "parent" conformation and can therefore respond specifically to the changes in external conditions. The process of the creation of these specially designed primary AB-copolymer sequences is called "engineering of AB-copolymers". In the project, these models will be studied both by means of analytical theoretical approaches (self-consistent-field method and a novel "replica" method) and by means of computer simulations (MC method using the bond fluctuation model). These theoretical ideas are then planned to be confirmed by synthetic preparation of particular polymer species and by the investigation of their physico-chemical properties. The project aims at understanding possible ways of molecular evolution and at designing of new materials composed of synthetic heteropolymers with special functional properties.

Programme(s)

• IC-INTAS - International Association for the promotion of cooperation with scientists from the independent states of the former Soviet Union (INTAS), 1993-

Topic(s)

• 1B - Condensed Matter, Optics and Plasma Physics
• INTAS - INTAS

Call for proposal

Data not available

Funding Scheme

Data not available

Coordinator

Wageningen Agricultural University

• EU contribution: No data
• Address: Dreijenplein 6 ; 6703 HB Wageningen ; Netherlands
• Total cost: No data

Participants (5)

M.V. Lomonosov Moscow State University

Russia

• EU contribution: No data
• Address: Vorobjevy gory ; 117234 Moscow
• Total cost: No data

Russian Academy of Sciences

Russia

• EU contribution: No data
• Address: Vavilov St. 28 ; 117813 Moscow
• Total cost: No data

Russian Academy of Sciences

Russia

• EU contribution: No data
• Address: Leninsky Prospect 53 ; 117924 Moscow
• Total cost: No data

Tver State University

Russia

• EU contribution: No data
• Address: Sadovyi pereulok 35 ; 170000 Tver
• Total cost: No data

Universitat Mainz

Germany

• EU contribution: No data
• Address: Staudinger Weg 7 ; 55099 Mainz
• Total cost: No data