PROTON MOTION OF POLY(GAMMA-BENZYL L-GLUTAMATE) IN BENZYL ALCOHOL DURING GELATION AS MEASURED BY QUASI-ELASTIC NEUTRON-SCATTERING

Quasielastic neutron scattering has been used to study the motion of p rotons in two solutions of poly(gamma-benzyl L-glutamate) (PBLG) and d euterated benzyl alcohol (DBA) as they are brought from the high tempe rature (cholesteric and isotropic) phase towards the gel. Quasielastic neutron scattering results demonstrate that, in both the isotropic an d cholesteric phases, the local rotational dynamics of the polymer are continuous in the high temperature phases, but become more constraine d as the system approaches and enters the gel phase. The results also show that the energetics of the rotational motion of the protons below the gelation threshold are independent of the initial phase and the p rotons are not rendered immobile in the gel phase. (C) 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.