Premium
Growth process of polymers near the gelation threshold
Author(s) -
Adam M.
Publication year - 1991
Publication title -
makromolekulare chemie. macromolecular symposia
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.257
H-Index - 76
eISSN - 1521-3900
pISSN - 0258-0322
DOI - 10.1002/masy.19910450104
Subject(s) - exponent , universality (dynamical systems) , statistical physics , polymer , gel point , percolation (cognitive psychology) , critical exponent , renormalization group , percolation threshold , percolation theory , molar mass distribution , thermodynamics , weight distribution , percolation critical exponents , materials science , mathematics , chemical physics , physics , condensed matter physics , combinatorics , phase transition , mathematical physics , topology (electrical circuits) , quantum mechanics , electrical resistivity and conductivity , philosophy , linguistics , neuroscience , composite material , biology
We will review experimental results obtained recently on the determination of the laws governing the growth process of polymer clusters as the gel point is approached. The exponent γ which characterizes the increase of the mean weight‐average molecular weight M w as the gel point is approached and the exponent τ which characterizes the mass distribution were measured on different chemical systems. They were found to be independent of the chemical system (within experimental error) and very close to exponent values calculated by computer simulations following the percolation model. Therefore, the sol‐gel transition is a critical phenomenon of connectivity belonging to the same class of universality as percolation.