Monte Carlo studies on the deformation Behavior of entangled polymer chains

Full Paper: In this work we present a continuous three-dimensional bond-fluctuation model (CBFM) in combination with the method of confined self-avoiding walks (CSAW). This method enables us to analyze both the compression and the stretching regime of the deformation process of two entangled polymer chains. We studied the deformation behaviour in respect to the number of entanglements, the distance of the end monomers on the confining surfaces and the orientation of the entanglements to the deformation axis. Our analysis of the behavior of the force and the structural properties of the systems during the deformation process leads us to the assumption that the entanglements act as one topological crosslink with variable strength.