Fundamental Hydrodynamic Characteristics of Polymers with Star and Comb Macromolecular Structures

The review considers the majority of studies published up to 1976 and dealing with the hydrodynamic properties of polymers having star and comb macromolecular structures. Methods for the estimation of the degree of branching are presented and it is shown how the dependence of the intrinsic viscosity on molecular weight changes on passing from randomly branched macromolecules to star and comb macromolecules. The influence of the polydispersity of the branches on the size of the macromolecules and their rigidity parameters is examined.
The bibliography includes 110 references.