Unusual behavior in light scattering experiments of poly(N-vinylimidazole) prepared by precipitation polymerization

Colloid and Polymer Science volume 287, Article number: 1405 (2009) Cite this article

Abstract

Poly(N-vinylimidazole) (PVI) was synthesized by the precipitation polymerization using 2,2’-azobis(isobutyronitrile) (AIBN; initiator) and benzene (solvent) at two different monomer/initiator ratios. The solution polymerization was also performed with the following initiator/solvent systems: AIBN/water–methanol mixture (1:1 by volume) and 4,4’-azobis(4-cyanovaleric acid)/aqueous HCl solution (pH 0.8). All the four preparations of PVI in ethanol and in 0.2 M NaCl (pH 3 with HCl) were examined by dynamic light scattering (DLS). The CONTIN analysis of DLS data for each preparation from the solution polymerization showed a unimodal distribution in both ethanol and aqueous solvents. A good agreement was obtained between the molar masses in these different solvents by static light scattering (SLS). However, the polymers from the precipitation polymerization exhibited a heterogeneous bimodal distribution in DLS under the same conditions as above, indicating that the SLS data as in reference [6] (Savin et al. Macromolecules 37:6565) cause a serious error in the understanding of solution behavior of PVI.

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Acknowledgment

This work was supported in part by Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research to E.K. from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (no. 20550183).

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Affiliations

  1. Graduate School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8572, Japan

    Mika Masaki

  2. Graduate School of Life and Environmental Sciences and Institute of Applied Biochemistry, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8572, Japan

    Kazuyoshi Ogawa & Etsuo Kokufuta

Authors
  1. Mika Masaki
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  2. Kazuyoshi Ogawa
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  3. Etsuo Kokufuta
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Correspondence to Etsuo Kokufuta.

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Masaki, M., Ogawa, K. & Kokufuta, E. Unusual behavior in light scattering experiments of poly(N-vinylimidazole) prepared by precipitation polymerization. Colloid Polym Sci 287, 1405 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00396-009-2104-2

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Keywords

  • Poly(N-vinylimidazole)
  • Precipitation polymerization
  • Solution polymerization
  • Dynamic and static light scattering
  • Heterogeneous bimodal distribution