Behaviour of ring‐shaped polymers in dilute solution. Quantitative calculation and experimental verification for molecular dimensions and second virial coefficient

Abstract

Relationships between the ratios of the mean-square radii of gyration g, and the second virial coefficients gA, of ring-shaped and linear polymers with the degree of polymerization P of the polymer and its Peterlin exponent E in dilute solution were derived theoretically and numerical values calculated. The second virial coefficients of ring-shaped and of linear polystyrene at 25 "C in toluene were determined using light scattering. By verifying the theoretical calculation based on the experimental determination of this polymer-solvent system with light scattering and other methods reported in the literature, the agreement between theoretical calculation and experimental results is shown. The correlation equations for linear (1) and ring-shaped (r) polystyrene in toluene at 25 "C A*,, = 8,06.