DYNAMICS OF STIFF-CHAIN POLYMERS IN ISOTROPIC SOLUTION - ZERO-SHEAR VISCOSITY OF RODLIKE POLYMERS

An expression for zero-shear viscosity, eta-0, of isotropic solutions of rodlike macromolecules from dilute through concentrated was derived from a general relation between eta-0 and the rotational diffusion coefficient, D(r), for rodlike polymer solution. The necessary expression for D(r) valid in the concentration range concerned was obtained by extending the recent Teraoka and Hayakawa's Green function formulation for D(r). Both D(r) and eta-0 were given as explicit functions of the length, the diameter, and the concentration of the rodlike macromolecule along with two universal constants. The validity of the viscosity expression obtained was demonstrated by comparison with experimental data of eta-0 for aqueous solutions of rigid helical polysaccharides.