Temperature dependence of the viscosity of dilute solutions of poly(2-chlorophenyl methacrylate) and poly(2,4,5-trichlorophenyl methacrylate) in various solvents

According to Moore's treatment, an Arrhenius expression was used to describe the temperature dependence of the actual viscosity of dilute solutions of poly(2-chlorophenyl methacrylate) and poly(2,4,5-trichlorophenyl methacrylate) in various solvents. The effect of the polymer on the activation energy for viscous flow was found to be negative in poor and moderate solvents (toluene, benzene and dioxane) and positive in a good solvent (THF). Irrespective of the nature of the solvent, the presence of polymer chains in solution led to an increase of the pre-exponential factor of the Arrhenius expression. The parameters of Moore's treatment are discussed in comparison with the Fox-Flory and the Kuhn-Mark-Houwink relations. The observed behaviours can be primarily related to variations in coil expansion with temperature.