Solution properties and chain flexibility of poly(p-tert-butylstyrene)

The dilute solution properties of anionically synthesized poly(p-tert-butylstyrene) (PtBS) were studied in tetrahydrofuran, cyclohexane 1,4-dioxane, 1-nitropropane and 2-octanol. Cyclohexane and tetrahydrofuran are good solvents for PtBS, 1,4-dioxane is of intermediate solvent power, and 1-nitropropane and 2-octanol are theta solvents. The unperturbed dimension results show PtBS to be a more extended chain than polystyrene. These observations are interpreted in light of rotational isomeric state (RIS) models for polystyrene and poly(p-chlorostyrene) and experimental data available for polystyrene and its substituted derivatives.