The Kirkwood-Riseman Model of Polymer Solution Dynamics Is Qualitatively Correct

The Rouse model is the foundational basis of much of modern polymer physics. The period alternative, the Kirkwood-Riseman model, is rarely mentioned in modern monographs. The models are qualitatively different. The models do not agree as to how many internal modes a polymer molecule has. In the Kirkwood-Riseman model, polymers in a shear field perform whole-body rotation; in the Rouse model, polymers respond to shear with an affine deformation. We use Brownian dynamics to show that the Kirkwood-Riseman model for chain motion is qualitatively correct. Contrary to the Rouse model, in shear flow, polymer coils rotate. Rouse modes are cross-correlated. The amplitudes and relaxation rates of Rouse modes depend on the shear rate. Several alternatives to Rouse modes as collective coordinates are discussed.

Automated summary

The Rouse model is the foundation of modern polymer physics, while the Kirkwood-Riseman model is rarely mentioned in current monographs. These models have qualitative differences in terms of the number of internal modes in a polymer molecule. In the Kirkwood-Riseman model, polymers rotate as a whole in a shear field, while in the Rouse model, polymers respond to shear with affine deformation.