Abstract
In this presentation we describe processing conditions triggering melts to behave in novel ways challenging the currently admitted models of polymer rheology. The viscosity of a polymer melt could be greatly reduced and the reduction of viscosity maintained at high temperatures for times 100,000 to several million times greater than the longest relaxation time. The instability of the network of entanglement could be induced by coupling shear-thinning and strain softening in what we called a Rheo-Fluidification processor, which we used to “disentangle” polymers, subsequently “re-entangle” them in different specific ways, creating new exciting materials.
Polymer melts are not defined simply by their reptation time nor by a scalar representing the network of entanglement, Me. These are useful parameters when the liquid state is in equilibrium. But non-equilibrium liquid states can be generated by Rheo-fluidification stabilized by “sustained-orientation”.
We suggest that this research leads to re-visit our understanding of the concept of entanglement in polymer physics.
Links to download VCL#1 (79.5 MB; 1h 35 min):inquire at newschoolpolymerphysics@gmail.com
Att: Dr. A. Beltzeki