title: Direct observation of nonaffine tube deformation in strained polymer networks.
abstract: We present a one-to-one comparison of polymer segmental fluctuations as measured by small angle neutron scattering in a network under deformation with those obtained by neutron spin echo spectroscopy. This allows an independent proof of the strain dependence of the chain entanglement length. The experimentally observed nonaffine square-root dependence of the tube channel on strain is in excellent agreement with theoretical predictions and permits us to exclude an often invoked nondeformed as well as affinely deformed tube.
authors.affiliation: Jülich Centre for Neutron Science (JCNS1) and Institute for Complex Systems (ICS1), Forschungszentrum Jülich, D-52428 Jülich, Germany.
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Pyckhout-Hintzen
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Westermann
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Wischnewski
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Monkenbusch
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Richter
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Straube
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Farago
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Lindner