Recent Advances in Polymer Viscoelasticity From General Rigid Bead-Rod Theory

One good way to explain the elasticity of a polymeric liquid, is to just consider the

orientation distribution of the macromolecules. When exploring how macromolecular

architecture affects the elasticity of a polymeric liquid, we find general rigid bead-rod theory

to be both versatile and accurate. This theory sculpts macromolecules using beads and rods.

Whereas beads represent points of Stokes flow resistances, the rods represent rigid

separations. In this way, how the shape of the macromolecule affects its rheological behavior

in suspension is determined. Our work shows the recent advances in polymer viscoelasticity

using general rigid bead-rod theory, including advances applied on different viruses,

including coronavirus. We calculate the rotational diffusivity of the viral suspensions, from

first principles, using general rigid bead-rod theory. We do so by beading the spherical

polymer, and then also by replacing each of its bulbous spikes with a single bead. We use

energy minimization for the spreading and positioning of the spikes, charged identically,

over the oblate or prolate capsids. We use general rigid bead-rod theory to explore the role

of ellipticity on its rotational diffusivity, the transport property around which its cell

attachment revolves.