Effects of the polydispersity on the viscoelasticity of low molecular weight polymers

The viscoelastic behavior of low molecular weight polymers exhibiting a fairly broad distribution has been deduced from the behavior of narrow samples by way of a linear law as a function of the density of the molecular weight distribution. Rheology of polydisperse linear polymers where the entire distribution of molecular weights is lower than 2 M _ehas been investigated using both binary mixtures and a broad sample of polystyrene. A decrease of the friction coefficient and of the viscosity compared to that of a narrow sample with the same M _w is observed. Therefore, the low components of broad samples play the role of plasticizers or lubricants which has been investigated in relation with the molecular weight distribution.