X-ray scattering study of a poly(methacrylic acid) sample as a function of its neutralization degree

A sample of poly(methacrylic acid) [PMA] of molecular weight 50 000 was investigated as a function of its degree of neutralization and the concentration in pure water by X-ray scattering. Complementary potentiometric and viscosimetric studies were made in order to determine the range of ionization degree when the conformational transition occurs, and the limits between the dilute and semi-dilute regimes. Light scattering measurements show that filtered solutions of PMA are aggregate free. The scattering curves of the PMA in excess of chlorydric acid exhibit a q(-3) behaviour in the high q range, which reveals the collapsed conformation of the chain at short distance. For the partially neutralized PMA, the peak of scattering curves, characteristic of the polyelectrolyte character, is shifted towards higher q values when the polymer concentration increases in agreement with the theoretical predictions. When the concentration is fixed, the q value at the peak maximum increases when the charge parameter increases, but a discontinuity appears in the range of the conformational transition. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.