Hydrodynamic, optical, and conformational properties of a comb-shaped polymer with cyanobiphenyl groups in the side chains

The intrinsic viscosity [η], the coefficients of translational diffusion D and buoyancy (-s), and the dynamic birefringence [n]/[η] of solutions in tetrachloroethane were studied for the fractions of the comb-shaped polymer bearing cyanobiphenyl groups in the side chains. Exponents in the Mark-Kuhn-Houwink equation for [η], D, and (-s) and their variation with molecular mass are typical of polymers with a great diameter of molecular chains. The conformational and optical properties of molecules were analyzed within the frameworks of the ellipsoid, spherocylinder particle, and wormlike chain models. The Kuhn segment length, the chain diameter, and the optical characteristics of macromolecules were determined. The hindering potential of rotations around the bonds of the main chain was calculated.