Bead-spring chain model for the dynamics of dilute polymer solutions: Part 2. Comparisons with experimental data

Abstract

Comparisons are made between experimental rheological data and theoretical predictions obtained from a recently developed algorithm which incorporates three major molecular concepts in a theory for dilute polymer solutions (hydrodynamic interaction, excluded volume and nonlinear springs). These predictions include the radius expansion factor, the apparent chain expansion factor, the molecular weight dependence of the intrinsic viscosity, the frequency dependence of oscillatory flow birefringence, and the shear rate dependence of the intrinsic viscosity. This paper shows that a bead-spring chain model quantitatively predicts these quantities when the relevant molecular concepts are incorporated, suggesting that the rheological properties of dilute polymer solutions can be explained and predicted in terms of these molecular parameters.