Renormalization group calculation of polymer properties in dilute solution

Abstract

The Riedel-Wegner (see Phys. Rev. B, vol.7, p.248 (1973)) phenomenological approach to crossover phenomena is used to calculate the temperature and molecular-weight dependence of the second virial coefficient and expansion factor of polymers in dilute solution both near the Theta temperature and at higher temperatures. The specific heat maximum of a single polymer chain in solution is predicted to diverge logarithmically as its molecular weight goes to infinity. The Theta temperature is assumed analogous to a tricritical point. It is shown that for problems involving the interaction of m polymers, one must work with an (m*n)-component field theory, and then take the limit n to O.