Thermoelastic Properties of Rubberlike Networks and Their Thermodynamic and Molecular Interpretation

Thermoelastic measurements and their interpretation by means of rotational isomeric state theory provide a great deal of insight into both thermodynamic and molecular aspects of rubberlike elasticity. Furthermore, conformational energies obtained in part from thermoelastic studies can in turn be used in the interpretation and even prediction of a variety of configurationally dependent properties of chain molecules, as is shown in many of the theoretical investigations cited in Sections IV and VII of this review.