Chain dimensions and fluctuations in elastomeric networksin which the junctions alternate regularly in their functionality

摘要

A matrix method is used to determine fluctuations of junctions and points along the polymer chainsmaking up a phantom Gaussian network that has the topology of an infinite, symmetrically growntree. The functionalities of the junctions alternates between 01 and 02, such that one end of eachnetwork chain has functionality 01, while the opposite end has functionality 02. Quantitiescalculated include fluctuations of 01-functional and 02-functional junctions, and fluctuations ofpoints along network chains, as well as correlations of these fluctuations. This was done for pointsand junctions along any path in the network, where these points and junctions were separated by nojunctions or several junctions, Fluctuations have also been calculated for the distances betweenpoints and junctions. The present results represent significant generalizations of earlier work in thisarea [Kloczkowski et al., Macromolecules 22, 1423 (1989)]. These generalizations and extensionsshould be very useful in a number of contexts, such as interpreting small-angle neutron scatteringresults on labeled paths in polymer networks, or fluctuations of loops in the Gaussian network modelof proteins.