Field theory and polymer size distribution for branched polymers

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
The statistics of crosslinked polymer chains, produced by condensation of polyfunctional units, is described by constrained equilibrium ensembles with fugacities controlling dimer, trimer, endpoint and polymer number. It is shown that this description can be reproduced identically by a statistical field theory from which polymer size distribution functions can be calculated. The field theory, in the mean field approximation in the absence of repulsive interactions, gives critical probabilities and polymer size distribution functions identical to those of Flory and Stockmayer. Modifications to the Flory-Stockmayer theory resulting from repulsive interactions are studied. Within the context of the constrained equilibrium ensembles studied here, the critical properties of gelation and percolation are identical

This publication has 18 references indexed in Scilit: