Scientists have been studying how polymers break in solutions for decades, but the mechanism by which chains are stretched to the point of covalent bond scission is not trivial. Now, an experiment series provides ample support for a dynamic model in which chains uncoil from end to middle, while concurrently relaxing.
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Diesendruck, C.E. How polymers dance to the pulses of ultrasound. Nat. Chem. 15, 1199–1201 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41557-023-01299-7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41557-023-01299-7
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