ISSN:
0887-6266
Keywords:
polyelectrolytes
;
conformational change
;
water-acetone mixture
;
viscosity and conductivity
;
Physics
;
Polymer and Materials Science
Source:
Wiley InterScience Backfile Collection 1832-2000
Topics:
Chemistry and Pharmacology
,
Physics
Notes:
Samples of a polyelectrolyte poly(methacryloylethyl trimethylammonium methylsulfate), PMETMMS, with molar masses Mw = 22-25 × 106 were examined with viscosity, static light scattering, and conductivity measurements in a water-acetone solvent. Because acetone is a nonsolvent for this polymer the measurements were performed to determine the influence of the solvent composition, the polymer concentration, and the presence of added ions on the conformation of the polyelectrolyte in mixed solvents. The possible influence of a hydrodynamic field on the polymer conformation was also studied. The viscosity of the polymer solutions as a function of polymer concentration, as well as of the solvent composition, was studied using a broad range of shear rates. When the mass fraction of acetone in the solvent, γ, is below 0.5, the solutions show a usual polyelectrolyte behavior. When γ ≥ 0.80, the polymer adopts a compact conformation. This is observed as a decrease of the radius of gyration, Rg, second virial coefficient, A2, the viscosity, and also as a change in the conductivity of the solution. The change in the polymer conformation may be induced also by dilution. When 0.60 ≤ γ 〈 0.80, a gradual decrease in the polymer concentration leads to a sudden decrease of the reduced viscosity, which indicates a decrease in the particle size. The values of Mw measured by static light scattering were constant in all experiments. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci B: Polym Phys 36: 1107-1114, 1998
Additional Material:
5 Ill.
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
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