Entropically driven transition to a liquid-crystalline polymer globule

C Nowak, V. G Rostiashvili, T. A Vilgis
2006 Europhysics letters  
A self-consistent-field theory (SCFT) in the grand canonical ensemble formulation is used to study transitions in a helix-coil multiblock copolymer globule. The helices are modeled as stiff rods. In addition to the established coil-globule transition we show for the first time that, even without explicit rod-rod alignment interaction, the system undergoes a transition to a nematic liquid-crystalline (LC) globular state. The LC-globule formation is driven by the hydrophobic helical segment
more » ... tion and the anisotropy of the globule surface energy. The full phase diagram of the copolymer was calculated. It discriminates between an open chain, amorphous globule and LC-globule. This model provides a relatively simple example of the interplay between secondary and tertiary structures in homopolypeptides. Moreover, it gives a simple explanation for the formation of helix bundles in certain globular proteins.
doi:10.1209/epl/i2005-10516-1 fatcat:susmohkbkbad5hh6ijkcyxt4im