Viscometric study of extremely dilute macromolecular solutions: Critical concentration c and the intrinsic viscosity of the polystyrene through scaling laws. The values of the Huggins constant

Abstract

Abstract A crossover is observed in the variation of the reduced viscosity, η sp / c , as a function of the concentration, c , for polystyrene solutions in cyclohexane and dioxane. This crossover is attributed to the critical concentration c at which the macromolecular coils start to contact. The critical concentration c is related to the molecular weight and the intrinsic viscosity of the polystyrene through scaling laws. The values of the Huggins constant k ' determined in the concentration regions below c (extremely dilute solutions) confirm the Peterson‐Fixman theory.