Problems of the statistical thermodynamics of dilute polymer solutions

Abstract

AbstractThe current status of the statistical thermodynamics of dilute solutions of chain polymers is reviewed, with particular attention to the interactions between single chain molecules and solvents and to the mutul interactions of two chains.With respect to the problems of one and two chains, the following topics are considered: the potential of mean force between chain segments and its dependence on the slevent; relationship between latice and continuum theories; comparison between machine calculations and analytical theories of chain dimensions; exact series and approximate or semi‐empirical theories of the osmotic second virial coefficient, and comparison with the experimental data; effects of polydispersity; behavior in mixed solvents. Higher virial coefficients and phase separation are also briefly discussed.