Generalized models for bond percolation transitions of associative polymers

Abstract

Polymers with stickers-and-spacers architectures can drive phase-separation-aided bond percolation transitions. Here, we present a generalized mean-field model to enable the calculation of bond percolation thresholds for polymers with multiple types of stickers. Further, using graph-based Monte Carlo simulations we demonstrate how cooperativity in bond formation can give rise to reentrant phase behavior. When combined with recent advances for modeling phase separation, our approaches for calculating percolation lines could be useful for modeling hardening transitions for multivalent proteins.