Light Scattering and Viscosimetry Study of Star-Like Dextran-Graft-Polyacrylamide

Abstract

Dextran-graft-Polyacrylamide copolymers (D-g-PAA) with a polysaccharide backbone having different molecular weights (Mw = 20 000 and Mw = 70 000) and with various number of PAA-grafts per one Dextran macromolecule have been synthesized. Light scattering and viscometry investigations have shown that the internal structure of D-g-PAA copolymers depends upon the distance between PAA-grafts. Compactness of D20-g-PAA copolymers is lower in comparison with D70-g-PAA samples due to different conformations of PAA grafted chains: a “mushroom” conformation for D70-g-PAA and a “worm-like” one for D20-g-PAA samples.