THE NEMATIC DUMBBELL MODEL

Flexible polymeric chains (Kuhn chains) made up of nematogenic moieties are considered here. The simplest approach to the dynamics of such a system, in both the isotropic and the nematic phases, is that of modeling the chain as an elastic dumbbell where the "spring" law also accounts for the nematic interaction. The constitutive equation of this "nematic dumbbell model" is thereby derived. The rheological predictions so obtained are qualitatively compared with the most prominent features of LCP rheology as well as with previous theoretical results.