Relaxation of linear polymers : A model accounting for intermolecular interactions

A concept of the effective relaxation time was introduced to analyze the stress relaxation curves for a series of monodisperse polymers. It is shown that the original reptation model cannot describe the time variation of the relaxation modulus. A model based on the notion of a network of physical bonds is proposed to describe the relaxation of linear polymers. A quantitative agreement between experimental curves and this model is demonstrated.