Details of Grant 

EPSRC Reference:	GR/S94711/01
Title:	Fundamental model for dynamics of entangled polymers.
Principal Investigator:	Likhtman, Professor A
Other Investigators:
Researcher Co-Investigators:
Project Partners:
Department:	Applied Mathematics
Organisation:	University of Leeds
Scheme:	First Grant Scheme Pre-FEC
Starts:	01 January 2005	Ends:	31 August 2007	Value (£):	126,462
EPSRC Research Topic Classifications:	Materials Characterisation
EPSRC Industrial Sector Classifications:	Manufacturing
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Summary on Grant Application Form
Dynamics of entangled polymers are fascinating subject from theoretical point of view and also incredibly important from the point of view of industrial applications. In terms of theory, the fundamental question is how to describe the fact that each polymer molecule is entangled with many others, and therefore its dynamics are very restricted. To account for such topological type of interaction proved to be a very complicate problem, which keeps many theoreticians around the world busy for last thirty years. And polymer industry is very interested in creating polymer materials with specific flow and mechanical properties. In particular, it can be achived by mixing polymers with different molecular weight and architecture - the problem that could be only addressed within a microscopic theory of entanglements.In this proposal I plan to develop new fundamental theory to describe entanglements. The need for this theory arises from weak foundations of widely used reptation theory, which was shown to fail in predicting simultaneously neutron spin-echo and mechanical experiments. Also current theories fail to describe linear and branched polymers within the same framework (thus parallel existing of constraint release and dynamic dilution theories). I also demonstrated that in the framework of the proposed model it is possible to include the change of the tube diameter under deformation - the question which current theories failed to address so far. In case of success the new model will describe scattering and mechanical experiments on linear and branched polymers within the same framework.
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Organisation Website:	http://www.leeds.ac.uk