| Issue |
Europhys. Lett.
Volume 57, Number 1, January 2002
|
|
|---|---|---|
| Page(s) | 32 - 38 | |
| Section | Atomic and molecular physics | |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1209/epl/i2002-00537-2 | |
| Published online | 01 September 2002 | |
Scaling model for the anomalous swelling of polymer networks in a polymer solvent
1
Institut de Chemie des Surfaces et Interfaces 15
rue Jean Starcky F-68057 Mulhouse Cedex, France
2
Fakultät für Physik, Universität Freiburg
Hermann-Herder-Str. 3, D-79104 Freiburg, Germany
3
Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of
Sheffield Hicks Building - Hounsfield Road, Sheffield,
S3 7RH, UK
Received:
6
July
2001
Accepted:
10
October
2001
We present a self-similar model for the topological disorder of
randomly cross-linked polymer networks to study swelling in the
same melt (P monomers per chain). A partially screened
excluded-volume constant 
explains the anomalous
swelling obtained in experiments on polystyrene networks if the
characteristic size of the topological disorder (network clusters)
is greater than the extension of the P-chains. As a result, the
degree of swelling follows a scaling behaviour dependent upon the
connectivity of the network clusters, in agreement with our
experimental data.
PACS: 36.20.-r – Macromolecules and polymer molecules / 61.25.Hq – Macromolecular and polymer solutions; polymer melts; swelling / 83.80.Va – Elastomeric polymers
© EDP Sciences, 2002
Current usage metrics show cumulative count of Article Views (full-text article views including HTML views, PDF and ePub downloads, according to the available data) and Abstracts Views on Vision4Press platform.
Data correspond to usage on the plateform after 2015. The current usage metrics is available 48-96 hours after online publication and is updated daily on week days.
Initial download of the metrics may take a while.