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FIZIKA A 19 (2010) 3 , 145-152
 
DIVERGENCE OF PERSISTENT LENGTH OF A SEMIFLEXIBLE HOMOPOLYMER CHAIN IN THE STIFF CHAIN LIMIT
PRAMOD KUMAR MISHRA
Department of Physics, DSB Campus, Kumaun University,
Naini Tal-263 002 (Uttarakhand), India
Received 29 December 2009; Revised manuscript received 2 September 2010
Accepted 26 October 2010 Online 24 February 2011
We revisit analytical calculation
[ Mishra et al., Physica A 323 (2003) 453
and Mishra, NewYork Sci. J. 3 (1) (2010) 32 ]
of the persistent length of a semiflexible homopolymer chain
in the extremely stiff chain limit, k→ 0,
where, k is the stiffness of the chain, for the directed walk
lattice model in two and three dimensions. Our study for the
two-dimensional (square and rectangular) and
three-dimensional (cubic) lattice case clearly indicates
that the persistent length diverges according to the expression
(1−gc)−1, where gc is the critical value of the step
fugacity required for polymerization of an infinitely long
linear semiflexible homopolymer chain, and nature of the
divergence is independent of the space dimension. This is
obviously true because, in the case of extremely-stiff chain
limit, the polymer chain is a one-dimensional object and
its shape is like a rigid rod.
PACS numbers: 05.70.Fh, 64.60 Ak, 05.50.+q, 68.18.Jk, 36.20.-r
UDC 539.199, 539.211
Keywords: homopolymer, persistent length, extremely stiff chain
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