title: Influence of the Solvent Quality on Ring Polymer Dimensions.
abstract: We present a systematic investigation of well-characterized, experimentally pure polystyrene (PS) rings with molar mass of 161 000 g/mol in dilute solutions. We measure the ring form factor atθ- and good-solvent conditions as well as in a polymeric solvent (linear PS of roughly comparable molar mass) by means of small-angle neutron scattering (SANS). Additional dynamic light scattering (DLS) measurements support the SANS data and help elucidate the role of solvent quality and solution preparation. The results indicate the increase of ring dimensions as the solvent quality improves. Furthermore, the experimental form factors in bothθ-solvent and linear matrix behave as ideal rings and are fully superimposable. The nearly Gaussian conformations of rings in a melt of linear chains provide evidence of threading of linear chains through rings. The latter result has implications for the dynamics of ring-linear polymer mixtures.
authors.affiliation: Forschungszentrum Jülich, JCNS-1/ICS-1, Jülich 52425, Germany.
authors.forename: Sebastian
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gooßen
authors.affiliation: Forschungszentrum Jülich, JCNS-1/ICS-1, Jülich 52425, Germany.
authors.forename: Ana R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Brás
authors.affiliation: Forschungszentrum Jülich, JCNS-1/ICS-1, Jülich 52425, Germany.
authors.forename: Wim
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Pyckhout-Hintzen
authors.affiliation: Forschungszentrum Jülich, JCNS-1/ICS-1, Jülich 52425, Germany.
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Wischnewski
authors.affiliation: Forschungszentrum Jülich, JCNS-1/ICS-1, Jülich 52425, Germany.
authors.forename: Dieter
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Richter
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599-3290, United States.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rubinstein
authors.affiliation: Institute for Environmental Chemistry, National Research Council of Canada, Ottawa, Canada.
authors.forename: Jacques
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Roovers
authors.affiliation: Institut Charles Sadron, CNRS UPR 22, University of Strasbourg, 23, rue du Loess, 67034, Strasbourg, France.
authors.forename: Pierre J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Lutz
authors.affiliation: Division of Advanced Materials Science and Department of Chemistry, Pohang University of Science & Technology, Pohang 790784, Korea.
authors.forename: Youncheol
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Jeong
authors.affiliation: Division of Advanced Materials Science and Department of Chemistry, Pohang University of Science & Technology, Pohang 790784, Korea.
authors.forename: Taihyun
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.affiliation: Institute of Electronic Structure and Laser, Foundation for Research and Technology-Hellas (FORTH), P.O. Box 1527, Heraklion, Crete 71110, Greece. Department of Materials Science and Technology, University of Crete, P.O. Box 2208, Heraklion, Crete 71003, Greece.
authors.forename: Dimitris
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Vlassopoulos