The equilibrium and kinetic flexibility of the poly-(cetyl p-methacrylylhydroxybenzoate)

Abstract

Diffusion, sedimentation, viscometric and flow birefringence methods in an electric field were used to investigate poly-(cetyl p-methacrylylhydroxybenzoate) (PMHC). Equations have been compiled in which the intrinsic viscosity, the diffusion coefficient and that of sedimentation were found as dependences of the molecular weight M, namely [ η] = 3·3 × 10 −3 M 0·8, D = 3·3 × 10 −4 M −0·6, and S 0 = 8·1 × 10 −15 M 0·4. The optical anisotropy of the segment has been experimentally determined as α 1 − α 2 = −440 × 10 −25 cm 3, that of the monomer chain unit as a ‖ − a ⊥ = −18 × 10 −25 cm 3, and the dipole moment of the segment as μ = 7·5 Debye. The PMHC molecule was found to behave in an electric field as a flexible kinetic chain, but the value of the kinetic chain segment was much superior to the size of the monomer unit, which obviously is the consequence of an orientational reaction between the branches (secondary groups).