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Polymer dynamics

Floored by the rings

Nature Materials volume 7, pages 933–935 (2008)Cite this article

The tube model can explain how mutually entangled polymer chains move and interact, but it relies on the loose ends of chains to generate relaxation. Ring polymers have no ends — so how do they relax?

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Figure 1: Entanglements have quite different effects on the dynamics of (a) linear and (b) star-branched polymers, but both find new configurations by diffusion of their free ends from the tube.
Figure 2: Schematic illustration of how local reconfiguration occurs in an entangled ring polymer.

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  1. Tom McLeish is pro-vice-chancellor for research at Durham University, University Office, Old Elvet, Durham DH1 3HP, UK. t.c.b.mcleish@dur.ac.uk,

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McLeish, T. Floored by the rings. Nature Mater 7, 933–935 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1038/nmat2324

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