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Nonlinear Rheology of Unentangled Polymers: Bridging Theory and Experiments via Computer Simulations by Nuofei Jiang -
Le mardi 20 mai 2025 à 15h00 - Salle Océan B.002 - Bâtiment de Serres - Croix du Sud - 1348 Louvain-la-Neuve
The nonlinear rheology of polymers in their molten states is one of the most essential subjects of polymer science. However, a thorough understanding of the flow phenomena still presents significant challenges. The current thesis takes the task of amending the gaps between the molecular theory and experimental data regarding the nonlinear rheology of unentangled polymers by referring to computer simulations. Including simulation data offers valuable insights into the molecular structures of polymers under flow, which are often difficult to obtain through experiments. The essential questions investigated in this thesis are: 1) What are the additional ingredients to quantitatively reproduce the nonlinear rheology of unentangled polymers from the most fundamental model of linear viscoelasticity? 2) How to predict the nonlinear extensional rheology of polymer melts or concentrated solutions from their material parameters? 3) How does the matrix affect the nonlinear response of a test chain in a binary blend? 4) How do intra-chain pairwise interactions affect the nonlinear shear rheology of polymers in the Θ-condition? 5) What kind of molecular picture can explain the nonlinear shear rheology of unentangled polymers? The current thesis solidly discusses these questions by combining experiments, theories, and simulations to improve our understanding of the nonlinear rheology of polymers.
Jury members :
Prof. Evelyne Van Ruymbeke (UCLouvain) (Supervisor)
Prof. Jen-François Gohy (UCLouvain) (Chairperson)
Prof. Vincent Legat (UCLouvain) (Secretary)
Prof. Giovanni Ianniruberto (Univ. Naples, Federico II, It.)
Prof. Zuowei Wang (Univ. Reading, U.K.)
Pay attention : the public defense of Nuofei Jiang will also take place in the form of a videoconference
