Dependence of Flow Properties of Polystyrene on Molecular Weight, Temperature, and Shear

Abstract

An abundance of experimental and theoretical information has been published on the flow of linear amorphous polymers. The most comprehensive set of studies available involve well-characterized polystyrenes. These are linear, high molecular weight polymers anionically polymerized to narrow distributions. Most of the studies on these polystyrenes have been designed to develop and to improve general interrelationships between molecular and shear variables. The former include polymer molecular weight, distribution, and concentration; the latter include shear rate, frequency, and test temperature. Each of these studies has been reported, however, with virtually no intercomparison with related rheological results reported by others on equivalent polystyrenes.