title: Rheological study of transient networks with junctions of limited multiplicity.
abstract: We theoretically study the viscoelastic and thermodynamic properties of transient gels comprised of telechelic associating polymers. We extend classical theories of transient networks so that correlations among polymer chains through the network junctions are taken into account. This extension enables us to investigate how rheological quantities such as elastic modulus, viscosity, and relaxation time are affected by the association equilibrium, and how these quantities are related to the aggregation number (or multiplicity) of the junctions. In this paper, we assume, in the conventional manner, that chains are elastically effective if both their ends are connected with other chains. It is shown that the dynamic shear moduli are well described in terms of the Maxwell model. As a result of the correlation, the reduced moduli (moduli divided by the polymer concentration) increase with the concentration, but become independent of the concentration in the high-concentration range. The fraction of pairwise junctions is larger at lower concentrations, indicating the presence of concatenated chains in the system, which decreases as the concentration increases. This leads to a network relaxation time that increases with the concentration.
authors.affiliation: Fukui Institute for Fundamental Chemistry, Kyoto University, Kyoto 606-8103, Japan. indei@fukui.kyoto-u.ac.jp
authors.forename: Tsutomu
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Indei