Dilute solution properties of polylaurolactam

For a number of fractions and unfractionated samples of polylaurolactam, molecular weights ($\text{M}{}_{\mathrm{<mtext>w</mtext>}}\text{= 1 × 10}{}^4\text{?12·5 × 10}{}^4$) were measured by the light-scattering method in a mixed solvent of m-cresol with 60 vol. % 2,2,3,3-tetrafluoropropanol; intrinsic viscosities were determined in m-cresol and 96% H₂SO₄, and the constants of the Mark-Houwink equation were calculated. The calculated values of the characteristic ratio of unperturbed dimensions (virtually identical for m-cresol and 96% H₂SO₄) were compared with the respective values for polypyrrolidone and polycaprolactam. It was found that the higher frequency of the CONH-groups reduces the rigidity of the polyamide chain.     

Thermoplastic elastomers by hydrogen bonding 1. Rheological properties of modified polybutadiene

Polybutadiene of narrow molecular weight distribution was modified using 4-phenyl-1, 2,4-triazoline-3,5-dione. The degree of modification was 1% and 2% with respect to the repeating units. Hydrogen bonding between the highly polar urazole groups thus incorporated into the polymer gives rise to the formation of a thermoreversible elastomeric network. Dynamic mechanical measurements in the temperature range between 220 and 330 K support the picture of the thermoreversible hydrogen bond interaction. The rubber elastic plateau is shifted to higher temperatures and lower frequencies. The increase in the plateau modulus cannot be attributed solely to the contribution of the network structure but is mainly a consequence of the broadening of the relaxation time spectrum in the modified samples. From the temperature dependence of the shift factors log(a _T ) it is concluded that the general WLF approach fails. The strong temperature dependence of the apparent activation energy of flow is a consequence of the temperature dependence of the hydrogen bond interaction.     

Thermoplastic elastomers via radical polymerization. II

Simple models are used to study the formation of thermoplastic elastomers using a method for preparation of block copolymers introduced by Tobolsky and Rembaum. It was found that a small excess of isocyanate groups produce branched block copolymers with significantly reduced fractions of AB and B type molecules.     

Dilute solution studies on a polycarbonate in good and poor solvents

Light-scattering, viscometric and osmometric studies have been carried out on dilute solutions of polycarbonate fractions both in a good solvent and in theta solvents. The data span the molecular weight interval 5 < 10^?3M < 760. It has been concluded that: (1) the overall behavior in dilute solution is consistent with a flexible chain conformation; (2) the ratio of the unperturbed mean-square radius to the molecular weight, or to the number of chain elements, is larger than commonly observed for vinyl polymers; (3) the ratio of the unperturbed radius to the radius calculated for a chain with free rotation about valence bonds has the unusually small value 1.3; and (4) the hydrodynamic behavior of the chain may reflect partical draining affects.     

Dilute solution properties of a polybenzimidazole

Light scattering and viscometric studies have been carried out on dilute solutions of a polybenzimidazole in N,N-dimethylacetamide. The data, which span the molecular weight range 2.9 ≦ 10^?4M_w ≦ 23.3, and the temperature range 290 ≦ T/K ≦343, yield the dependence of the mean-square radius of gyration 〈s²〉_LS, the second virial coefficient A₂, and the intrinsic viscosity [η] on molecular weight M_w and temperature. The unperturbed mean-square radius 〈s〉_LS was calculated using experimental values of 〈s²〉_LS and A₂. It was found that excluded volume effects on 〈s²〉_LS are very small. The unperturbed hydrodynamic chain dimension 〈s〉_η was estimated by considering draining effects. A small value of the draining parameter was obtained. Analysis of the temperature dependence of A₂ and [eta;] leads to the conclusion that this system approaches a lower theta temperature with increasing temperature. The steric factor σ = 〈s〉/〈s〉f, based on the value of 〈s〉_f calculated for the polymer chain with free rotation, is nearly unity. Most of these properties can be interpreted in terms of long rotational units within the main chain.     

Dilute solution properties of branched polymers

For calculating the ratio of the intrinsic viscosities of branched and linear polymers of the same molecular weight, [η]_B/[η]_L, a new theory taking into account the excluded volume effect is presented. By using the modified Flory equation, the excluded volume effect of branched polymers is predicted with the aid of the first-order perturbation theory. The linear expansion factor α_s is converted to the hydrodynamic expansion factor α_η by using the Kurata-Yamakawa theory. Our calculated results, i.e., [η]_B/[η]_L and 〈s²〉_B/〈s²〉_L, agree well with experiment for various type branched polymers, i.e., randomly branched and comb-shaped polymers of poly(vinyl acetate).     

Dilute solution properties of epoxy resins

Number-average molecular weights of fractions of epoxy resins were estimated by vapor-pressure osmometry and size exclusion chromatography coupled with multiple-angle light scattering. Potential reasons for differences between the two sets of data are examined. The molecular weight dependences of the intrinsic viscosity in tetrahydrofuran and chloroform are discussed in terms of theories which take into account the low-molecular weight character of poly(hydroxy ether) chains. The polymer-solvent interaction parameter is estimated. The impact of the presence of branched chains on the results of size exclusion chromatography is examined. It is shown that the universal calibration of size exclusion chromatographic columns by polystyrene is reliable at molecular weights above 2000 only.     

Water insoluble polyacrylamide part VI: Dilute solution properties of poly(N-acryloyl-m-aminobenzoic acid)

A high molecular weight poly(N-acryloyl-m-aminobenzoic acid) (PMAB) was synthesized in a mixed solvent medium by radical polymerization. The polymer was separated into different fractions by fractional precipitation. All those eight fractions were characterized by viscometry, vapor pressure osmometry and gel permeation chromatography. Mark-Houwink-Kuhn-Sakurada relationships were established for three different solvents at 30°C. Unperturbed dimensions were estimated from the viscosity-molecular weight data using graphical methods based on approximate theories of Stockmayer and Fixman, and of Kurata, Stockmayer, and Roig, and on a first-order perturbation treatment of the excluded volume effect. The results indicate that the PMAB chain is of intermediate stiffness.     

Dilute solution properties of a polyurethane. I. Linear polymers

A linear polyurethane of high molecular weight was prepared in solution by the polyaddition of equimolar amounts of ethylene glycol and methylene bis(4-phenyl isocyanate). The polymer was fractionated by using a direct sequential extraction procedure, with a solvent–nonsolvent system consisting of N,N′-dimethylformamide (DMF) and acetone (A). The resulting fractions were characterized by viscosity and lightscattering measurements. The relationship between the intrinsic viscosity and molecular weight was found in DMF at 25°C. to be [η] = 3.64 × 10^?4M^0.71. The unperturbed polymer chain dimensions were determined from intrinsic viscosity measurements carried out under experimentally determined theta conditions.     

Dilute solution properties of sodium amylopectin xanthate

Sodium amylopectin xanthate, prepared by xanthation of potato amylopectin in alkaline medium, was fractionated and the fractions in 1M NaOH were characterized by viscometry and light scattering. The expansion factor α was determined from the expression due to Orofino and Flory. The value of a of the Mark-Houwink relation, [η] = KM^a, was also determined. Its weight-average molecular weight, end-to-end distance, branching, and other parameters in alkali solution were also evaluated. From the data, it was concluded that the sodium amylopectin xanthate molecule had a polydisperse random-coil chain configuration in 1M NaOH and had no tendency to aggregate in this medium.     

Dilute solution properties of sodium cellulose disulphate

Sodium cellulose sulphate (NaCaS), with degree of substitution (DS) of 1.90, was synthesized by reacting samples of cellulose, covering a wide range of average molecular weight, with S03/dimethyl formamide complex. A solution of NaCS in 0.5 M aq. NaCl was studied by solution viscometry, light scattering and membrane osmometry. The solution was dialysed against solvent. The following MarkHouwink-Sakurada equation and relation between the z-average radius of gyration and weightaverage molecular weight, Mw, were established for $\text{7.2 × 10}{}^4\text{?}\text{M}{}_{\mathrm{w}}\text{? 1.5 × 10}{}^6\text{at 25°}$.The NaCS with salt system was analysed according to the theory of linear non-ionic polymers. Flory's viscosity parameter φ is significantly molecular weight dependent. The partially free draining effect and the excluded volume effect were estimated and the former predominated. The unperturbed chain can be regarded as Gaussian and its dimension A was found to be 1.21 × 10^?8 cmand the conformation parameter a was 2.9.     

Molecular characterization of a hyperbranched polyester. I. Dilute solution properties

A hyperbranched polyester was fractionated by precipitation to produce 10 fractions with molecular weights between 20 × 10³ and 520 × 10³ g mol^?1. Each of these fractions was examined by size exclusion chromatography, dilute‐solution viscometry, intensity, and quasi‐elastic light scattering in chloroform solution at 298 K. High‐resolution solution‐state ¹³C NMR was used to determine the degree of branching; for all fractions this factor was 0.5 ± 0.1. Viscometric contraction factors, g′, decreased with increasing molecular weight, and the relation of this parameter to the configurational contraction factor, g, calculated from a theoretical relation suggested a very strong dependence on the universal viscosity constant, Φ, on the contraction factor. A modified Stockmayer–Fixman plot was used to determine the value of (〈r²〉_o/M_w)^1/2, which was much larger than the value for the analogous linear polymer. The scaling relations of the various characteristic radii (R_g, R_h, R_T, and R_η) with molecular weight all had exponents less than 0.5 that agreed with the theoretical predictions for hyperbranched polymers. The exponent for R_g was interpreted as fractal dimension and had a value of 2.38 ± 0.25, a value that is of the same order as that anticipated by theory for branched polymers in theta conditions and certainly not approaching the value of 3 that would be associated with the spherical morphology and uniform segment density distribution of dendrimers. Second virial coefficients from light scattering are positive, but the variation of the interpenetration function, ψ, with molecular weight and the friction coefficient, k_o, obtained from the concentration dependence of the diffusion coefficient suggests that chloroform is not a particularly good solvent for the hyperbranched polyester and that the molecules are soft and penetrable with little spherical nature. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 41: 1339–1351, 2003     

Head-to-head polymers—II. Dilute solution properties of head-to-head polypropylene

The behaviour in dilute solution of head-to-head (H-H) polypropylenes, covering the range $\text{M}{}_{\mathrm{n}}\text{= 0.22}$ to 4.19 × 10⁴, has been studied in cyclohexane as solvent at 303 K. The data could be represented by two distinct Mark-Houwink equations describing the low and the high molecular weight regions. The unperturbed dimensions of (H-H) polypropylenes were found to be less than those for conventional atactic polypropylene in agreement with theoretical predictions. The theta temperature for (H-H) polypropylene in isoamylacetate was found to be 316 K. At this temperature the characteristic ratio was estimated to be 4.5 compared with 6.4 for atactic and syndiotactic polypropylene. The conclusion is that (H-H) placements in polypropylene increase the flexibility of the chain.     

Dilute solution properties of asymmetric six-arm star polystyrenes

Six-arm star polystyrenes having varying numbers of short and long arms attached to the same molecule have been synthesized by anionic polymerization. The molecules have been characterized by high resolution size exclusion chromatography using multiangle light scattering and viscosity detectors. This technique has allowed the radii of gyration and intrinsic viscosities to be measured for stars with each possible combination of arms. The branching parameters g and g′ are computed and compared with theoretical expectations. It is found that short arms add preferentially to the stars, because of reduced steric effects. The molecule with one long and five short arms exhibits behavior closest to that of a linear chain (largest branching ratios). The effect of arm polydispersity on solution properties of stars is discussed. © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Dilute solution behaviour of amylose tributyrate. Light scattering,viscosity and osmotic pressure measurements in non-ideal solvents

Amylose tributyrate has been prepared and fractionated; the dilute solution behaviour of the polymer has been studied in four solvents, ethyl acetate, methyl ethyl ketone, carbon tetrachloride and tetrahydrofuran. The Mark-Houwink relations have been established for each solvent and the exponent γ varies between 0·72 and 0·86, for different solvents. Perturbed dimensions have been measured for the polymer dissolved in two solvents and an estimate of the unperturbed dimensions has been made; the latter appear to be solvent dependent. Heterogeneity corrections were applied using data established by gel permeation chromatography measurements. Values of the effective bond length b of between 17 and 19·5 × 10^?8 cm and the Kuhn statistical segment A_m of 70 to 180 x 10^?8 cm, indicate that amylose tributyrate behaves like a moderately stiff coil in good solvents, with a chain stiffness intermediate between the vinyl and cellulosic polymers.     

Polymerization of pyromellitic dianhydride with 3,3′-diaminobenzidine in aprotic solvents II. Dilute solution studies

Solution properties were determined for the poly(amide acid amine) obtained from the room-temperature polymerization of pyromellitic dianhydride with 3,3,-diaminobenzidine in aprotic solvents. Membrane osmometry data, viscosity studies, solution aging studies, and pH–viscosity relationships were given. Anomalous upswings in viscosity–concentration plots were attributed to absorption or capillary wall effects and not to polyelectrolyte effects, such as were induced by addition of strong bases. Similar absorption effects were found with polyamic acid solutions, in contrast to earlier reports that these polyimide precursors were polyelectrolytes. Unfavorable storage characteristics of the polymer solutions were explained by aging studies which showed that at 25°C dilute solutions exhibited a rapid drop in viscosity; in concentrated solution a slow increase to gelation was observed.     

Synthesis and properties of polycyanoethylmethylsiloxane polyurea urethane elastomers: A study of segmental compatibility

A series of polyurea urethane block polymers based on either aminopropyl-terminated polycyanoethylmethylsiloxane (PCEMS) soft segments or soft segment blends of PCEMS and polytetramethylene oxide (PTMO) were synthesized. The hard segments consisted of 4,4′-methylenediphenylene diisocyanate (MDI) chain-extended with 1,4-butanediol. The hard segment content varied from 11 to 36%, whereas the PTMO weight fraction in the soft segment blends varied from 0.1 to 0.9. The cyanoethyl side group concentration was also varied during the synthesis of the PCEMS oligomer. The morphology and properties of these polymers were studied by differential scanning calorimetry, infrared spectroscopy, dynamic mechanical and tensile testing, and small-angle x-ray scattering. These materials exhibited microphase separation of the hard and soft segments; however, attaching polar cyanoethyl side groups along the apolar siloxane chains promoted phase mixing in comparison with polydimethylsiloxane-based polyurethanes. The increased phase mixing is postulated to lead to improved interfacial adhesion and thus can account for the observed improvement in ultimate tensile properties compared with polydimethylsiloxane-based polyurethanes. Both hard segment content and cyanoethyl concentration are important factors governing the morphological and tensile properties of these polymers.     

Microphase‐separated structure of telechelic urethane acrylate anionomers and their network in various solvents

Telechelic urethane acrylate anionomer (UAA) chain showed less viscosity and polyelectrolyte behavior in water than dimethyl acetamide (DMAc) because of hydrophobic aggregation. UAA networks prepared in different solvents (water and DMAc) exhibited very different swelling behaviors in the same swelling medium, which can be interpreted as due to the very different microstructures formed in the solvents. UAA networks prepared with water (UAHG networks) had microphase‐separated hydrophilic and hydrophobic domains, whereas UAA networks synthesized with DMAc (UADG networks) had relatively homogeneous network structures. The mechanical property of the UAHG and UADG networks, measured with a dynamic mechanical analyzer, was also very sensitive to the solvent type used during the crosslinking reaction. UAHG networks with a microphase‐separated structure had a higher modulus than UADG networks. The results of the mechanical property measurements showed that water was a much better solvent for the hydrophilic hard segments of UAA chain than DMAc, even though DMAc dissolved both hydrophilic and hydrophobic segments of UAA chain. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci B: Polym Phys 38: 2081–2095, 2000     

Dilute solution properties of cellulose in LiOH/urea aqueous system

Cellulose was dissolved rapidly in 4.6 wt % LiOH/15 wt % urea aqueous solution and precooled to –10 °C to create a colorless transparent solution. ¹³C‐NMR spectrum proved that it is a direct solvent for cellulose rather than a derivative aqueous solution system. The result from transmission electron microscope showed a good dispersion of the cellulose molecules in the dilute solution at molecular level. Weight‐average molecular weight (M_w), root mean square radius of gyration (〈s²〉_z^1/2), and intrinsic viscosity ([η]) of cellulose in LiOH/urea aqueous solution were examined with laser light scattering and viscometry. The Mark–Houwink equation for cellulose in 4.6 wt % LiOH/15 wt % urea aqueous solution was established to be [η] = 3.72 × 10^?2 M in the M_w region from 2.7 × 10⁴ to 4.12 × 10⁵. The persistence length (q), molar mass per unit contour length (M_L), and characteristic ratio (C_∞) of cellulose in the dilute solution were given as 6.1 nm, 358 nm^?1, and 20.8, respectively. The experimental data of the molecular parameters of cellulose agreed with the Yamakawa–Fujii theory of the worm‐like chain, indicating that the LiOH/urea aqueous solution was a desirable solvent system of cellulose. The results revealed that the cellulose exists as semistiff‐chains in the LiOH/urea aqueous solution. The cellulose solution was stable during measurement and storage stage. This work provided a new colorless, easy‐to‐prepare, and nontoxic solvent system that can be used with facilities to investigate the chain conformation and molecular weight of cellulose. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 44: 3093–3101, 2006