Transition of polymers from rubbery elastic state to fluid state

On increasing the temperature of a polymer, the transition of the polymer from a rubbery elastic state to a fluid state could occur. The transition temperature is termed the fluid temperature of the polymer, T _f, which has a direct relationship with the polymer molecular weight. As one of polymer parameters, T _f is as important as the glass transition temperature of a polymer, T _g. Moreover, special attention to T _f should be paid for polymer processing. In research on the transition of a polymer from a rubbery elastic state to a fluid state, the concept of T _f would be more reasonable and more effective than the concept of T _l,l because it is neglected in the concept of T _l,l in that the molecular weight of a polymer may affect the transition of the polymer. In this paper the discussion on the fluid temperature involves the characters of polymers, such as the deformation—temperature curve, the temperature range of the rubbery state and the shear viscosity of polymer melt. From the viewpoint of the cohesional state of polymers, the transition of a polymer from a rubbery elastic state to a fluid state responds to destruction and construction of the cohesional entanglement network in the polymer. The relaxing network of polymer melt would be worthy to be considered as an object of study. __________ Translated from Huaxue Tongbao (Chemistry), 2008,71(3) (in Chinese)