Dilute Solution Properties of Poly(Vinyl Chloride)

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Abstract
Light scattering and viscosity studies were made on dilute solutions of poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) in three solvents: cyclo-hexanone, cyclopentanone, and tetrahydrofuran. Eight samples of PVC (Mw = 25,400 to 145,000) were used to determine the intrinsic viscosities, molecular weights, and the polymer-solvent interaction parameters over a range of temperatures. The solutions were found to behave normally and to exhibit no evidence of aggregate formation. The molecular weights obtained in all three solvents were independent of temperature and agreed well within the experimental errors. The interaction parameters observed were independent of concentration and molecular weight, and functions only of temperature. The intrinsic viscosities were related to molecular weight by the Mark-Houwink equation between 20 and 50°C. The temperature coefficient of the interaction parameter obtained by light scattering agrees well with that found by viscometry. Cyclohexanone, cyclopentanone, and tetrahydrofuran are all good solvents for PVC, and the order of solvent quality is cyclohexanone > cyclopentanone > tetrahydrofuran.