Dilute polymer solutions under shear flow: Comprehensive qualitative analysis using a bead-spring chain model with a FENE-Fraenkel spring

Although the nonequilibrium behavior of polymer solutions is generally well understood, particularly in extensional flow, there remain several unanswered questions for dilute simple shear and full quantitative agreement with experiments has not been achieved. For example, experimental viscosity data exhibit qualitative differences shear-thinning exponents, rate onset shear-thinning, high-shear Newtonian plateaus depending on semiflexibility, contour length, solvent quality. While models are able to incorporate all these effects through various spring force laws, bending potentials, excluded volume (EV) hydrodynamic interaction (HI), inclusion each piece physics systematically matched experimentally observed behavior. Furthermore, attempts develop multiscale (in sense representing an arbitrarily small or large chain) which can make predictions hindered by lack ability fully match results bead-rod models, often used represent a chain at Kuhn-step level, bead-spring take into account entropic elasticity. In light difficulties, this work aims general model based so-called FENE-Fraenkel spring, originally formulated Larson co-workers [J. Chem. Phys. 124 (2006)], span range from rigid rod traditional as include potential, EV, HI. As we show, reproduce, smoothly move between, wide previously solution rheology flow.