A Lattice-Boltzmann simulation of a bead-polymer complex

Abstract

A complex composed of a polymer and a colloid coupled together and immersed in a fluid, is simulated by means of the Lattice-Boltzmann Method and Molecular Dynamics. The system dynamics is character-ized using dimensionless numbers. Unravelling the properties of the complex might have severe implications in single molecule experiments or in any system similar to a polymer attached to rigid ob ject, such as some molecular machines or the novel polymer-protein hybrid materials. In addition, the adhesion of the colloid to one of the edges of the polymer creates a unique frame for the latter in the sense that many new properties may arise due to the shear effects induced near the colloid and the symmetry breaking that its presence represents for the polymer.