Effects of Linking Topology on the Shear Response of Connected Ring Polymers: Catenanes and Bonded Rings Flow Differently

We perform computer simulations of mechanically linked (poly[2]catenanes, PC) and chemically bonded (bonded rings, BR) pairs of self-avoiding ring polymers in steady shear. We find that BRs develop a novel motif, termed gradient tumbling, rotating around the gradient axis. For the PCs the rings are stretched and display another new pattern, termed slip tumbling. The dynamics of BRs is continuous and oscillatory, whereas that of PCs is intermittent between slip-tumbling attempts. Our findings demonstrate the interplay between topology and hydrodynamics in dilute solutions of connected polymers.Received 14 August 2023Revised 9 October 2023Accepted 15 February 2024DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.132.148101© 2024 American Physical SocietyPhysics Subject Headings (PhySH)Research AreasPolymer conformation & topologyPolymer entanglementTechniquesHydrodynamicsMolecular dynamicsMultiscale modelingCondensed Matter, Materials & Applied PhysicsPolymers & Soft MatterStatistical Physics & Thermodynamics