Conductivity of solutions of poly(acrylonitrile) in dimethyl sulfoxide

The conductivity of solutions of poly(acrylonitrile) (PAN) in dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) is studied. Using the Raman spectroscopy method, it is found that PAN causes associates of DMSO molecules to dissociate into free molecules, as a result of which the conductivity of the solution grows. Simultaneously, PAN molecules hamper the rotation of DMSO molecules, which decreases the conductivity. There exists a critical concentration of PAN (≈5.4 vol. %) at which the rotation of DMSO molecules is hindered to the greatest extent and the conductivity drops by an order of magnitude.