Predicted effect of polydispersity on rodlike polymer behaviour in concentrated solutions

Abstract By extending previous theories of Doi and Doi-Edwards, the constitutive equation for concentrated solutions of polydisperse rodlike polymers is derived and various rheological predictions are worked out in some detail. As one might have expected, in may cases the polydispersityy does not change the qualitative features which are predicted for the monodisperse case. There are instances, however, where significant qualitative differences are found, the elastic recovery after cessation of a steady shear being one of them. The theoretical results presented in this paper compare favourably with data on rigid polymers by Berry and coworkers.