Viscoelasticity and primitive path analysis of entangled polymer liquids: From f-actin to polyethylene

TL;DR

This paper integrates simulations and scaling theories to unify the understanding of polymer entanglement across various systems, explaining experimental data and the Lin-Noolandi packing conjecture through primitive path analysis.

Contribution

It introduces a unified framework using primitive path analysis to describe entanglement in diverse polymer systems, from dilute solutions to dense melts and biopolymers.

Findings

Primitive path analysis matches experimental plateau moduli across systems.

The framework explains the transition from loose to tight entanglement.

Provides a new perspective on the Lin-Noolandi packing conjecture.

Abstract

We combine computer simulations and scaling arguments to develop a unified view of polymer entanglement based on the primitive path analysis (PPA) of the microscopic topological state. Our results agree with experimentally measured plateau moduli for three different polymer classes over a wide rangeof reduced polymer densities: (i) semi-dilute theta solutions of synthetic polymers, (ii) the corresponding dense melts above the glass transition or crystallization temperature, and (iii) solutions of semi-flexible (bio)polymers such as f-actin or suspensions of rodlike viruses. Together these systems cover the entire range from loosely to tightly entangled polymers. In particular, we argue that the primitive path analysis renormalizes a loosely to a tightly entangled system and provide a new explanation of the successful Lin-Noolandi packing conjecture for polymer melts.