Extending polymer chains results in a positive chain tension, 𝑓ch, due primarily to conformational restrictions. At the level of individual bonds, however, tension 𝑓𝑏 is either negative or positive and depends both on chain tension and bulk pressure. Typically, the chain and bond tension are assumed to be directly related. The Rubinstein lab shows by molecular dynamics simulations and polymer theory that in specific systems, however, this dependence may not be intuitive, whereby 𝑓ch increases while 𝑓𝑏 decreases, i.e., the entire chain is extended, while bonds are compressed.
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