Orientation Correlation in Simplified Models of Polymer Melts

TL;DR

This study explores local chain order in flexible polymer melts, revealing that local ordering effects are consistent across various chain lengths and extend a few monomer sizes, regardless of the dynamic regime.

Contribution

It demonstrates that local ordering in polymer melts is independent of chain length and persists over a few monomer sizes, combining excluded-volume and connectivity effects.

Findings

Local ordering extends 3-4 monomer sizes

Order is independent of chain length from 25 to 700 monomers

Order persists in both Rouse and reptation regimes

Abstract

We investigate mutual local chain order in systems of fully flexible polymer melts in a simple generic bead-spring model. The excluded-volume interaction together with the connectivity leads to local ordering effects which are independent of chain length between 25 and 700 monomers, i.e. in the Rouse as well as in the reptation regime. These ordering phenomena extend to a distance of about 3 to 4 monomer sizes and decay to zero afterwards.