= Polymer melt
A polymer melt is a dense fluid of <polymer> chains with little or no solvent. For a long flexible chain in a homogeneous melt, other chains screen its long-range <excluded volume> interactions: distant segments of the chosen chain displace statistically similar segments belonging to its neighbours. On scales above local stiffness, equilibrium chain dimensions are consequently approximately those of an <ideal chain>, even though monomers still cannot physically overlap. Entanglements can strongly affect dynamics without changing this leading large-scale equilibrium size law. Crystallinity, strong orientational order or unusual topological constraints require separate treatment.
Back to article page
