1. Molecular weight scaling in critical polymer solutions
- Author
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G. D. Wignall, W.A. Van Hook, and Y. B. Melnichenko
- Subjects
Physics ,chemistry.chemical_classification ,Amplitude ,Condensed matter physics ,chemistry ,Phase (matter) ,Exponent ,General Physics and Astronomy ,Polymer ,Neutron scattering ,Scaling theory ,Scaling - Abstract
In this letter we address the long-standing controversy which originated from differences between the experimental and theoretical values of the scaling exponent (n) for the critical amplitude ξ0 of the correlation length in polymer solutions. Using small-angle neutron scattering we examine the dependence of ξ0 on polymer molecular weight in polystyrene-methylcyclohexane-d14 solutions. We find that the experimental values of ncr = 0.195 ± 0.010 in the critical region of phase demixing as well as nmf = 0.255 ± 0.009 in the mean-field domain around the Θ temperature agree with the predictions of scaling theory (ncr = 0.185, nmf = 0.25).
- Published
- 1999
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