The size of a polymer molecule in semi-dilute solution

Abstract

The mean-square end-to-end distance for a given polymer in a solution whose concentration lies in the semi-dilute regime has been studied using the field-theoretic formulism. The crossover function which describes the increase in the end-to-end distance as the temperature is raised from the θ-point towards the good solvent limit is calculated (correct to order ε = 4 - d) using the renormalization group. The agreement with the present experimental data obtained by scattering neutrons off a few deuterated chains in the solution is poor