Hydrodynamic and electrooptical properties of star-shaped heteroarm fullerene (C60)-containing polymers in solutions

Star-shaped heteroarm polymers with a C60 branching center and polystyrene and poly(2-vinylpyridine) arms of equal molecular masses have been studied by the methods of molecular hydrodynamics (translational diffusion and viscometry) and electrooptics (the Kerr effect). The experimental hydrodynamic data are interpreted in terms of the regular star model. The molecular masses and hydrodynamic sizes of star-shaped heteroarm polymers in solutions are estimated. A comparison of these values with the corresponding parameters of linear polymer-analogs (polystyrene and poly(2-vinylpyridine)) makes it possible to characterize the branching degree of macromolecules. The study of the electrooptical properties of the heteroarm polymer in benzene demonstrates the tendency of macromolecules toward aggregation.