Scattering from polymer networks under elongational strain

Molecular-dynamics simulations are used to sample the single-chain form factor of labelled sub-chains in model polymer networks under elongational strain. We observe very similar results for randomly cross-linked and for randomly end-linked networks with the same average strand length and see no indication of lozenge-like scattering patterns reported for some experimental systems. Our data analysis shows that a recent variant of the tube model quantitatively describes scattering in the Guinier regime as well as the macroscopic elastic properties. The observed failure of the theory outside the Guinier regime is shown to be due to non-Gaussian pair-distance distributions. © EDP Sciences.