On the Dynamics and Disentanglement in Thin and Two-Dimensional Polymer Films

We present results from molecular dynamics simulations of strictly two-dimensional (2D) polymer melts and thin polymer films in a slit geometry of thickness of the order of the radius of gyration. We find that the dynamics of the 2D melt is qualitatively different from that of the films. The 2D monomer mean-square displacement shows a t power law at intermediate times instead of the t law expected from Rouse theory for nonentangled chains. In films of finite thickness, chain entanglements may occur. The impact of confinement on the entanglement length Ne has been analyzed by a primitive path analysis. The analysis reveals that Ne increases strongly with decreasing film thickness.