ABSTRACT
Systems in which polymerization is believed to take place under conditions of chemical equilibrium between the polymers and their respective monomers are termed “living polymers” (LP). This chapter describes the basic models that have been used in simulations so far and summarizes the Monte Carlo and molecular dynamics techniques that are used. It presents some principal results from the scaling analysis of equilibrium polymers (EP). The chapter focuses on simulational results concerning various aspects of static properties: the molecular weight distribution of EP, the conformational properties of the chain molecules, and their behavior in constrained geometries. It examines the specific properties of relaxation towards equilibrium in giant wormlike micelles (GM) and LP as well as on the first numerical simulations of transport properties in such systems. The models used for simulation of living polymers can be divided roughly into two classes, focused on static or dynamic properties of the LP or GM.
