Polymer Distribution Change During Irreversible Depolymerization by Chain‐End Scission

Abstract The change in polymer distribution during depolymerization in which monomer molecules are severed one by one from the chain ends, is considered. Assuming irreversible depolymerization and equal reactivity of all the chain ends, a general formula to calculate the MWD is proposed. After the removal of monomers severed from the chains, the MWDs of depolymerized polymers always approach the most probable distribution whose PDI is practically equal to 2. It may appear to be counterintuitive, but the average MWs of polymers may increase during chain scission when the initial distribution is broader than the most probable (PDI > 2). The interpretation of the MWD data of polymers during depolymerization, such as those obtained by GPC, are not straightforward especially for the initial broad MWDs. magnified image