Thermal expansion of macromolecules in solid polymers over a wide temperature range
Sergei V Bronnikov, Viktor I Vettegren
A kinetic equation has been previously proposed for the description of Young’s modulus for highly oriented polymers. Where polymers are investigated and exploited at temperatures below their thermodynamic Debye temperature, a quantum function should be introduced into the kinetic equation. It takes into account nonuniform distribution of the energy over vibration modes, and it may be expressed via thermophysical properties such as thermal expansion and the thermal expansion coefficient. A special spectroscopic procedure has been developed to estimate these thermal characteristics over a wide temperature range.