Viscosimetric study of polystyrene polymacromonomer dilute solutions

The viscosimetric behaviour of poly(ω-norbornenyl polystyrene) polymacromonomers is studied in dilute solutions as a function of the degree of polymerisation and the branch molar mass. We emphasise the fact that the exact molar mass characterisation using scattering techniques is illusory, owing to a strong intermolecular contribution in the scattering distribution, as evidenced by neutron scattering. Two characteristic behaviours are evidenced in the viscosimetric dependence versus molar mass of the polymacromonomer and are attributed to their global conformation when they could be considered as spherically or cylindrically symmetric. Moreover for the branch of higher molar mass used an unexplained deviation appears between the two behaviours. Received: 6 May 2000 Accepted: 6 September 2000