A Monte Carlo study of the intrinsic viscosity of semiflexible ring polymers

Abstract

A Monte Carlo study is made of the intrinsic viscosity [η] of semiflexible ring polymers by the use of a discrete version of the Kratky–Porod (KP) wormlike ring without excluded volume. The values of [η] are evaluated in the Kirkwood–Riseman approximation. The ratio of [η] of the rings of the trivial knot to that of the rings without the topological constraint is found to become a function only of the reduced contour length λL, where λ−1 is the stiffness parameter of the KP chain and L is the total contour length. It is then shown that the ratio is almost equal to unity for λL≲10 and increases monotonically with increasing λL for λL≳10.