title: Multicomponent diffusion in polymeric liquids.
abstract: It is shown how the phase-space kinetic theory of polymeric liquid mixtures leads to a set of extended Maxwell-Stefan equations describing multicomponent diffusion. This expression reduces to standard results for dilute solutions and for undiluted polymers. The polymer molecules are modeled as flexible bead-spring structures. To obtain the Maxwell-Stefan equations, the usual expression for the hydrodynamic drag force on a bead, used in previous kinetic theories, must be replaced by a new expression that accounts explicitly for bead-bead interactions between different molecules.
authors.affiliation: Theoretical Chemistry Institute, Department of Chemistry, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53706, USA.
authors.forename: C F
authors.initials: CF
authors.lastname: Curtiss
authors.forename: R B
authors.initials: RB
authors.lastname: Bird