Electrostatically Driven Topological Freezing of Polymer Diffusion at Intermediate Confinements
Di Jia, M. Muthukumar
Abstract
Breaking the paradigm that polymers in crowded aqueous media obey Einstein's law of diffusion, we report a localized nondiffusive hierarchical metastable state at intermediate confinements. Combining electrostatic and topological effects, we can tune the propensity of this new universality class in a quasicoacervate gel system consisting of guest polyamino acid chains inside an oppositely charged host hydrogel. Our observations offer strategies for controlled release and retention of macromolecules in aqueous crowded media, while opening a new direction for understanding topologically frustrated dynamics in polymers and other soft matter systems.
Topics & Concepts
MetastabilityPolymerChemical physicsSoft matterUniversality (dynamical systems)DiffusionAqueous solutionAnomalous diffusionAqueous mediumMaterials scienceNanotechnologyPhysicsChemistryCondensed matter physicsThermodynamicsColloidComputer sciencePhysical chemistryQuantum mechanicsKnowledge managementInnovation diffusionComposite materialMaterial Dynamics and PropertiesLipid Membrane Structure and BehaviorPickering emulsions and particle stabilization