English

Generating moment equations in the Doi model of liquid-crystalline polymers

Soft Condensed Matter 2009-10-31 v1 Statistical Mechanics

Abstract

We present a self-consistent method for deriving moment equations for kinetic models of polymer dynamics. The Doi model [M. Doi, J.Polymer. Sci., Polym. Phys. Ed. 19, 229 (1981)] of liquid-crystalline polymers with the Onsager excluded-volume potential is considered as an example. To lowest order, this method amounts to a simple effective potential different from the Maier-Saupe form. Analytical results are presented which indicate that this effective potential provides a better approximation to the Onsager potential than the Maier-Saupe potential. Corrections to the effective potential are obtained.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.cond-mat/0003506,
  title  = {Generating moment equations in the Doi model of liquid-crystalline polymers},
  author = {P. Ilg and I. V. Karlin and H. C. Öttinger},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:cond-mat/0003506},
  year   = {2009}
}

Comments

6 pages, 2 figures