Strain-dependent localization, microscopic deformations, and macroscopic normal tensions in model polymer networks

The microscopic and macroscopic response of model polymer networks to uniaxial elongations was analyzed using molecular dynamics simulations. It was shown that the polymer model has two interactions that represent bonds and excluded volume, respectively. The full crossover from cross-link to entanglement dominated behavior was covered by studying networks with strand lengths ranging from Ns = 20 to 200. A version of the tube model which accounts for the different strain dependence of chain localization due to chemical cross-links and entanglements was supported by the results.