From supramolecular to conventional polymers: polyethylene glycol

Abstract

Increasing the polymerization degree of polyethylene glycol (PEG), HO–(CH₂CH₂O–)_nH, entails lowering the number of hydroxyl groups per unit volume; therefore, supramolecular polymers are gradually replaced by longer and longer conventional polymers. This paper concerns an estimation of the polymerization degree (n) where PEG changes its nature from a supramolecular polymer to a conventional polymer. It was found that that virtual transformation takes place when n reaches the value of about 9. The conclusion follows from the different thermal behaviors of the dipolar orientational effects in liquid PEG detected for n below and above 9. The result reflects a diametrically different impact of the temperature on the linkages between the monomers in supramolecular and conventional polymers.