STATISTICAL STRUCTURES AND SLOW DYNAMICS IN SOFT POLYMERS - NMR APPROACHES

It is shown how the transverse magnetic relaxation of protons attached to chains can be used to investigate characteristic properties of sta tistical polymeric structures; the NMR approach is illustrated by cons idering permanent gels, temporary network structures in molten high po lymers and adsorbed polymers on silica aggregates. NMR investigations rely mainly on the existence of a residual spin-spin interaction which results from the anisotropy of rotational motions of monomeric units; this anisotropy is induced by all topological constraints exerted on chain segments.