Persistence Length of Carboxymethyl Cellulose As Evaluated from Size Exclusion Chromatography and Potentiometric Titrations

Abstract

The intrinsic persistence length of carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) is determined by size exclusion chromatography in combination with multiangle laser light scattering (SEC−MALLS) as well as from potentiometric titrations. Samples with degree of substitution (ds) ranging from 0.75 to 1.25 were investigated. The relation between molar mass M and radius of gyration Rg as obtained by SEC−MALLS is determined in 0.02, 0.1, and 0.2 mol L-1 NaNO3. Using the electrostatic wormlike chain theory a bare (intrinsic) persistence length Lp0 of CMC is assessed at 16 nm, irrespective of the degree of substitution. A somewhat lower value (12 nm) is obtained when Odijk's theory for the description of polyelectrolyte dimensions is applied. The difference between Lp0 assessed from both models is discussed briefly. Potentiometric titrations were carried out in NaCl solutions (ranging from 0.01 to 1 mol L-1). From the titrations the radius of the CMC backbone was obtained by application of the model of a uniformly charged cylin...