Miller, IKeentok, MPereira, Gerald GeorgeWilliams, David2009-08-182010-12-202009-08-182010-12-20Physical Review, E, Statistical, Nonlinear and Soft Matter Physics 71.3 (2005): 031802/1-91539-3755http://hdl.handle.net/10440/712http://digitalcollections.anu.edu.au/handle/10440/712Semiflexible polymers, such as DNA, in the presence of a condensing agent often form toroids. This is due to a balance between bending and surface area free energy penalties. Here we show why in experiments all the toroids have been found to have similar physical size. We also introduce a novel morphology, that of the hollow sphere, which is favored for long polymer chains. This offers the possibility of encapsulating material inside a “vesicle” made of semiflexible polymers. We also consider the case of many such polymer chains placed in a poor solvent. We show a transition between two morphologies occur on increasing concentration of polymer chains, from a thickened toroid to a spherical globule.9 pageshttp://www.sherpa.ac.uk/romeo/index.php "Author can archive pre-print (ie pre-refereeing) … post-print (ie final draft post-refereeing) … [and] publisher's version/PDF. Link to publisher version … [and] Copyright notice required. Publisher's version/PDF can be used on … employers web site." - from SHERPA/RoMEO site (as at 25/02/10). ©2005 The American Physical SocietyKeywords: Bending energy; Monomer-monomer interactions; Semiflexible polymers; Toroids; Approximation theory; Blood vessels; DNA; Free energy; Monomers; Solvents; Theorem proving; Polymers2005-03-1410.1103/PhysRevE.71.0318022015-12-12