Correction: Inhomogeneities and local chain stretching in partially swollen networks

Abstract

Correction for ‘Inhomogeneities and local chain stretching in partially swollen networks’ by Walter Chassé et al., Soft Matter, 2013, 9, 6943–6954.

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Eqn (3) in the original manuscript needs to be replaced byThe previous version of the above Flory–Rehner equation incorporated an earlier suggested¹ and later revised² incorrect account of a fraction of elastically inactive defects ω_def,sw, as determined by NMR experiments in the swollen state. In short, the previous version incorporated a modified dependence on the polymer volume fraction at swelling equilibrium in the numerator. The dependence on , however, merely relates to the geometric deformation of the sample as a whole, not to the fact that a part of the material is inactive. Rather, the fraction of elastically active material ω_el = 1 − ω_def,sw is to be used to correct the resulting overall density of active network chains 1/M_c, resulting in eqn (1).

Our revision² has also revealed that the interaction parameter χ for PDMS/toluene, to be used in the above equation, should be revised in so far as a different literature value,³, provided more conclusive results. The corrections only affect the results shown in the final Fig. 9 of the paper, see Fig. 1 for a revised version. The overall changes are minor, amounting to systematic shifts of the absolute-value results for 1/M_c,app, but not to significant changes in the relative linear relationships. Thus, all drawn conclusions remain valid.

Fig. 1 Corrected version of Fig. 9 of original manuscript.

The Royal Society of Chemistry apologises for these errors and any consequent inconvenience to authors and readers.

References

1. W. Chassé, M. Lang, J.-U. Sommer and K. Saalwächter, Macromolecules, 2012, 45, 899–912.
2. W. Chassé, M. Lang, J.-U. Sommer and K. Saalwächter, Macromolecules, 2015, 48, 1267–1268.
3. N. Kuwahara, T. Okazawa and M. Kaneko, J. Polym. Sci., Part C: Polym. Symp., 1968, 23, 543–553.

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