| Abstract
| - In this short paper two arguments are made. First, the swellingreported in the precedingpaper cannot be due to a selective titration of hydrogen-bondingcross-links, for various reasonsassociated with the thermodynamics and statistical mechanics of howthese interactions aretreated. Second, in the “liquid” state (i.e., T>Tg) H bonds cannot be cross-links becausetheir“lifetimes” or relaxation times are much shorter than that of amechanical experiment such asswelling. In other words, hydrogen bonds break and re-form manytimes during the course ofswelling, giving the chain segments ample time and opportunity torelax.
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