Dynamic uniaxiality in strained networks: A deuterium NMR investigation

The orientational order generated in a polymer network by a uniaxial stress is probed using deuterium NMR. The experiments are performed on end-linked polydimethylsiloxane networks. When a uniaxial force is applied, the observed NMR spectra show that the chain segments reorient uniaxially around the external force direction. This experimental fact appears as new evidence for cooperative orientational interactions between chain segments in the deformed networks.