Membrane- and surface-grafted polymers and proteins in shear flows: Chain mobility and transport coefficients

We consider the problem of a mobile polymer chain anchored to a surface in the presence of a shear flow. We examine the case where the surface is solid, where it is the interface between two liquids, and where it is a membrane. Rodlike polymers and flexible polymers under good and θ conditions are studied. We find that at low shear rates the chain speed increases linearly with the shear rate. At higher shear rates a nonlinear relation is usually obtained due to chain distortion.