PERCOLATION AND VOLUME INTERACTION EFFECT S IN THE CHAINS OF SEMIRIGID SULFATIZED AROMATIC POLYAMIDE

Interpretation of the hydrodynamic data for sulfatized aromatic polyim ide based on isophthalic acid in the molecular-mass range 10 < M x 10( -3)epsilon < 145 in 0.1 M NaCl solution is proposed. The structural an d electrostatic contributions to the equilibrium stiffness of the chai n are calculated. The sum of these contributions is treated as a lower limit of the Kuhn segment length for polyamide chains in 0.1 M NaCl s olutions. Calculation of the molecular mass per unit length M-L is dis cussed. It is suggested that evaluation of M-L should take into accoun t the number of solvent molecules strongly bound to the polymer molecu le. Application of the Gray-Bloomfield-Hearst theory for wormlike chai ns with volume swelling allows one to separate the contributions of hy drodynamic percolation and volume swelling to the translational fricti on coefficient. An analytical estimate for the equilibrium stiffness a nd the estimates for the hydrodynamic diameter of the chain are used a s the criteria.