Sonic Degradation of Polyisobutylene in Solution

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
Narrow, well‐defined molecular weight fractions of polyisobutylene were irradiated in n‐hexadecane as 3% concentrations by a 10‐kc/sec sonic oscillator. The irradiated polymers were recovered by precipitation and evaporation; the molecular weight distributions were determined by column chromatographic fractionation. Narrow fractions for study had viscosity molecular weights of 15 100, 40 000, 74 400, and 137 000. The changes in distribution are compared with those from a broad distribution polymer with a molecular weight of 40 000. The limiting degree of polymerization below which degradation will not take place is at least as low as 200, and probably 100, for polyisobutylene in solution, considerably lower than the 1000–2000 reported for several polymers.