CONCENTRATION AND FREQUENCY-DEPENDENT TRAPPING OF REACTIVE POLYMERS

The kinetics of diffusion-controlled reaction of an end-functionalized polymer chain with a fixed random array of reactive ''trap'' sites is examined as a function of trap concentration n. It is demonstrated th at a frequency-dependent trapping rate coefficient is generally requir ed to describe the trapping dynamics. Scaling methods and renormalized perturbation theory are used to examine the behavior of this rate coe fficient as a function of nR(3) and dimensionless frequency s tau, whe re R is the radius of gyration and tau is the terminal relaxation time of the polymer. The Rouse model is employed throughout, although exte nsions to account for hydrodynamic interactions and entanglements are straightforward. The implications of our results for reactive blending and polymer adsorption processes are discussed. (C) 1997 American Ins titute of Physics.