TY - JOUR
T1 - Competitive scission and cross linking in a solid polymer electrolyte exposed to gamma irradiation
T2 - Simulation by a fractal model
AU - Ghosal, Subhasish
AU - Mukhopadhyay, Madhumita
AU - Ray, Ruma
AU - Tarafdar, Sujata
PY - 2014/4/15
Y1 - 2014/4/15
N2 - Gamma irradiation influences the microstructure of polymers that significantly affects the correlated properties of solid polymer electrolytes (SPEs). The present paper introduces a deterministic fractal model of polymer molecules and investigates the morphological changes due to gamma irradiation in SPE. The computer aided simulation is primarily based on radiation induced scission and/or cross linking of polymer molecules. The drift velocity of conducting ion which is proportional to conductivity, is calculated considering two competing effects, viz. trapping effect of ions diffusing inside a branched fractal molecule and the motion assisted by segmental motion of the polymer itself. Variations in ionic conductivity, molecular weight distribution, intrinsic viscosity etc., as a function of probability of scission and/or cross linking show significant correlation with microstructural change induced by gamma radiation of variable dose. The present theoretical study enables easy understanding for correlation of associated properties exhibited upon experimental system perturbation through gamma irradiation.
AB - Gamma irradiation influences the microstructure of polymers that significantly affects the correlated properties of solid polymer electrolytes (SPEs). The present paper introduces a deterministic fractal model of polymer molecules and investigates the morphological changes due to gamma irradiation in SPE. The computer aided simulation is primarily based on radiation induced scission and/or cross linking of polymer molecules. The drift velocity of conducting ion which is proportional to conductivity, is calculated considering two competing effects, viz. trapping effect of ions diffusing inside a branched fractal molecule and the motion assisted by segmental motion of the polymer itself. Variations in ionic conductivity, molecular weight distribution, intrinsic viscosity etc., as a function of probability of scission and/or cross linking show significant correlation with microstructural change induced by gamma radiation of variable dose. The present theoretical study enables easy understanding for correlation of associated properties exhibited upon experimental system perturbation through gamma irradiation.
KW - Fractals
KW - Gamma irradiation
KW - Ionic conductivity
KW - Polymer electrolyte
KW - Segmental motion
KW - Trapping
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84893084554&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.physa.2014.01.010
DO - 10.1016/j.physa.2014.01.010
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:84893084554
SN - 0378-4371
VL - 400
SP - 139
EP - 150
JO - Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications
JF - Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications
ER -