Expansion coefficients and conformational properties of heterodisperse poly(acrylamide-co-sodium acrylate)

Abstract

Calculations of expansion coefficients from light scattering and viscometric data on heterodisperse samples of poly(acrylamide-co-sodium-acrylate) satisfactorily describe the solution properties of these polymers across the entire copolymer range, from polyacrylamide to poly(sodium acrylate). Light scattering results correlate well with the viscosity data provided that corrections are made for polymer heterodispersity and that a modified Krigbaum equation is used to estimate the unperturbed dimensions of the molecules. The expansion coefficients deduced from light scattering and Flory–Fox hydrodynamic theory were inaccurate and insensitive to fluctuations in charge density and molecular weight.