LINEAR VISCOELASTICITY REVISITED - THE RELAXATION FUNCTION OF MONODISPERSE POLYMER MELTS

The linear viscoelastic properties of linear polymers may be calculated from the models of molecular dynamics derived from the reptation concept. The paper presents an analytical form of the complex shear modulus integrating the various relaxation processes of linear flexible chains over a wide range of time or frequencies covering the terminal relaxation region up to the glassy behavior. The model may be easily translated from one polymer species to another, and model predictions are compared with the experimental data for various polymers: polystyrene, polybutadiene, and poly(methyl methacrylate).