CHARACTERIZATION OF BRANCHING ARCHITECTURE THROUGH UNIVERSAL RATIOS OF POLYMER-SOLUTION PROPERTIES

Experimental and Monte Carlo data for the dilute-solution properties of 'lightly branched' polymers (stars, combs, rings, ...) are compared with the renormalization group predictions of J.F. Douglas and K.F. Fred. The comparisons focus on 'universal' dimensionless ratios of the mean dimensions of lightly branched polymers, relative to those of linear polymers having the same molecular weight. Complications associated with hydrodynamic solution properties and with the effect of ternary interactions are briefly discussed. Dimensionless ratios involving the polymer second virial coefficient, A2, are also tabulated and compared with theory.