研究目的

Investigating how geometric confinement in polymer thin films alters the entanglement state of the system compared to its bulk counterpart.

研究成果

Geometric confinement in polymer thin films compresses chain conformations uniaxially, reducing the volume pervaded by chains and consequently the number of entanglements. This effect is nonuniform and depends on the chain's position within the film. The study finds that the primitive path network is less affected by confinement than the end-to-end vector, indicating a discrepancy with theoretical predictions. The results provide insights into the modification of entanglement networks under confinement, suggesting areas for further theoretical development.

研究不足

The study is limited to monodisperse linear polymers and does not consider polydispersity or branched polymers. The simulations use a coarse-grained model, which may not capture all atomistic details. The effect of confinement on entanglement reduction is not fully understood, and the study highlights discrepancies between simulation results and theoretical predictions.