Small-Angle Neutron Scattering Study of the Structural Relaxation of Elongationally Oriented, Moderately Stretched Three-Arm Star Polymers

Kell Mortensen; Anine L. Borger; Jacob J. K. Kirkensgaard; Qian Huang; Ole Hassager; Kristoffer Almdal

doi:10.1103/PhysRevLett.127.177801

Small-Angle Neutron Scattering Study of the Structural Relaxation of Elongationally Oriented, Moderately Stretched Three-Arm Star Polymers

Kell Mortensen^*, Anine L. Borger, Jacob J. K. Kirkensgaard, Qian Huang, Ole Hassager, Kristoffer Almdal

^*Corresponding author for this work

Xray and Neutron Science

Research output: Contribution to journal › Letter › Research › peer-review

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Abstract

We present structural relaxation studies of a polystyrene star polymer after cessation of high-rate extensional flow. During the steady-state flow, the scattering pattern shows two sets of independent correlations peaks, reflecting the structure of a polymer confined in a fully oriented three-armed tube. Upon cessation of flow, the relaxation constitutes three distinct regimes. In a first regime, the perpendicular correlation peaks disappear, signifying disruption of the virtual tube. In a second regime, broad scattering arcs emerge, reflecting relaxation from highly aligned chains to more relaxed, still anisotropic form. New entanglements dominate the last relaxation regime where the scattering pattern evolves to a successively elliptical and circular pattern, reflecting relaxation via reptation.

Original language	English
Article number	177801
Journal	Physical Review Letters
Volume	127
Issue number	16
Number of pages	5
ISSN	0031-9007
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.127.177801
Publication status	Published - 18 Oct 2021

Keywords

STRESS

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Small-Angle Neutron Scattering Study of the Structural Relaxation of Elongationally Oriented, Moderately Stretched Three-Arm Star Polymers. / Mortensen, Kell; Borger, Anine L.; Kirkensgaard, Jacob J. K.; Huang, Qian; Hassager, Ole; Almdal, Kristoffer.

In: Physical Review Letters, Vol. 127, No. 16, 177801, 18.10.2021.

Research output: Contribution to journal › Letter › Research › peer-review

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AU - Kirkensgaard, Jacob J. K.

AU - Huang, Qian

AU - Hassager, Ole

AU - Almdal, Kristoffer

PY - 2021/10/18

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N2 - We present structural relaxation studies of a polystyrene star polymer after cessation of high-rate extensional flow. During the steady-state flow, the scattering pattern shows two sets of independent correlations peaks, reflecting the structure of a polymer confined in a fully oriented three-armed tube. Upon cessation of flow, the relaxation constitutes three distinct regimes. In a first regime, the perpendicular correlation peaks disappear, signifying disruption of the virtual tube. In a second regime, broad scattering arcs emerge, reflecting relaxation from highly aligned chains to more relaxed, still anisotropic form. New entanglements dominate the last relaxation regime where the scattering pattern evolves to a successively elliptical and circular pattern, reflecting relaxation via reptation.

AB - We present structural relaxation studies of a polystyrene star polymer after cessation of high-rate extensional flow. During the steady-state flow, the scattering pattern shows two sets of independent correlations peaks, reflecting the structure of a polymer confined in a fully oriented three-armed tube. Upon cessation of flow, the relaxation constitutes three distinct regimes. In a first regime, the perpendicular correlation peaks disappear, signifying disruption of the virtual tube. In a second regime, broad scattering arcs emerge, reflecting relaxation from highly aligned chains to more relaxed, still anisotropic form. New entanglements dominate the last relaxation regime where the scattering pattern evolves to a successively elliptical and circular pattern, reflecting relaxation via reptation.

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U2 - 10.1103/PhysRevLett.127.177801

DO - 10.1103/PhysRevLett.127.177801

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JO - Physical Review Letters

JF - Physical Review Letters

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