A
full-chain stochastic tube model for entangled melts and solutions of linear
Polymers
Benjamin Levich Institute for
Physico-Chemical Hydrodynamics, Department of Chemical Engineering, and
CREST Center for Mesoscopic Modeling and Simulation, City College of the City
University of New York, New York, New York 10031
Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering and Center of Excellence in Polymer Science and Engineering,
Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago, Illinois60616
We describe a full-chain stochastic tube model for entangled melts and solutions of linear polymers. The model incorporates two forces that result from chain confinement: a tensile force along the chain that prevents chain collapse and a transverse force that keeps the chain within the virtual tube. The model tracks conjugate constraint pairs and utilizes a consistent approach to constraint renewal. Chain loops within the tube are permitted. There is good agreement with published transient and steady-state data on two entangled polystyrene solutions with a single time-scaling adjustable parameter.