CHARACTERIZATION OF POLYELECTROLYTES

A series of polyacrylamide-co-sodium acrylates were prepared through alkaline hydrolysis of well fractionated polyacrylamides. The polymers were subsequently analyzed by light scattering and viscometry. The dilute solution properties such as the specific refractive index increment, intrinsic viscosity, and Mark-Houwink parameters were found to systematically depend on the ionic content of the copolymer. These relationships were used to develop reliable techniques for the molecular weight characterization of polyelectrolytes. A comparison of molecular weights of the polyelectrolytes with the parent nonionic polyacrylamides from which they were derived showed good agreement.