INTRINSIC VISCOSITY OF COPOLYMERS

Abstract The intrinsic viscosity of a copolymer has been calculated using the method developed by Fixman. The result shows that the relation [η] = KM 1/2 may be observed under certain conditions (where [η] is intrinsic viscosity, M is molecular weight, and K is a constant). However, even in such a case, the ‘unperturbed dimensions’ of the copolymer cannot be obtained in the manner usually adopted for homopolymers. In general, there is no θ state for a copolymer, i.e. no stage at which all interactions between pairs of segments vanish simultaneously.