Mathematical Solvability of a Caputo Fractional Polymer Degradation Model Using Further Generalized Functions

Abstract

The continuous fission equation with derivative of fractional orderα, describing the polymer chain degradation, is solved explicitly. We prove that, whether the breakup rate depends on the size of the chain breaking up or not, the evolution of the polymer sizes distribution is governed by a combination of higher transcendental functions, namely, Mittag-Leffler function, the further generalizedG-function, and the Pochhammer polynomial. In particular, this shows the existence of an eigenproperty; that is, the system describing fractional polymer chain degradation contains replicated and partially replicated fractional poles, whose effects are given by these functions.