Intrinsic viscosity-molecular weight relationships for poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate)

Poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) was prepared by solution polymerisation using carefully purified monomer. Fractions obtained using a precipitation technique were characterised by osmotic pressure and light scattering measurements. Values of intrinsic viscosities were obtained for the fractions in a range of solvents at 30°; viscosity molecular weight relationships were calculated. The values of the exponent α in the Mark-Houwink relation were generally found to be in the range 0.5–0.8, as expected for acrylic polymers.