Cellulose acetate butyrate in solution. I. Hydrodynamic behavior

Abstract

Abstract Cellulose acetate butyrate has been studied in regard to its hydrodynamic properties in several solvents. The polymer was fractionated by precipitation, and the molecular weight distribution of the polymer fractions was determined by gel permeation chromatography. The number‐average molecular weight was estimated by osmometry. The Mark–Houwink–Kuhn–Sakurada relations between viscosity and molecular weights were established, and the unperturbed dimensions of the polymer chains were evaluated. In light of these data, current theories of polymer solutions are discussed. A new method of estimating unperturbed dimensions is proposed for semiflexible linear polymers.