Abstract

In this work a comparative study of different molecular-weight fractions of the amphiphilic polymer poly(tetrahydropyranyl-2-methyl methacrylate) (PTHPMM) in solution and at the air/water interface is reported. The synthesis of the polymer was carried out in solution by radical polymerization. The polymer was fractionated and five fractions were studied in solution and at the air/water interface. The weight-average molecular weight M̄w, the second virial coefficient A2, and the radius of gyration Rg were determined in toluene by static light scattering. Intrinsic viscosities [η] of the polymer fractions in three solvents were obtained. The Kuhn-Mark-Houwink-Sakurada relationships were established. The Langmuir isotherms for different polymer fractions were obtained at the air/water interface by monolayer compression at constant temperature. The overlap surface concentrations were determined, and from these results the radius of gyration in two dimensions was calculated. The thermodynamic power of the toluene and the air/water interface for PTHPMM were estimated from the empirical relationship between the radius of gyration in two and three dimensions and the weight-average molecular weight. © 2005 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.