Solution properties and unperturbed dimensions of poly(p-tert-butylstyrene)

The conformational and thermodynamic properties of poly(p-tert-butylstyrene) were investigated by osmometry, intrinsic viscosity, light scattering, gel permeation chromatography and phase equilibria measurements. Polymeric samples were anionically synthesized. 1-Nitropropane was found to be a θ-solvent for this polymer and the θ-temperature was determined as 31°C. Intrinsic viscosity-molecular weight relationships were obtained in a few solvents. Unperturbed dimensions, estimated from both viscosity and light scattering results, led to the characteristic ratio, C_α, of 13.4 ± 0.7 at 31°C. Comparison of this value with those for other polystyrene derivatives shows that the characteristic ratio increases with the bulkiness of the side-group due to the steric effect.