THE ELASTICITY OF IDEAL POLYMER-CHAINS

The systems considered here are composed of noninteracting ideal chain s, formed from many identical beads, each of which is bound to its two nearest neighbors with an arbitrary potential of interaction. The the rmodynamic properties of these systems are examined for several bond p otentials. Comparisons then are made between the properties of the mod el systems and the experimentally observed behaviors of rubbery materi als. Connections also are established between the thermodynamic and el astic properties of these model systems and those given by the traditi onal theories of polymeric elasticity.