Dielectric behaviour of solutions of poly-γ-benzyl-L-glutamate and of copolymers with D-enantiomorph

Abstract

Dipole moments and dielectric relaxation frequencies for a series of samples of poly-γ-benzyl-L-glutamate of varying molecular weight were measured. The influence on the dielectric properties of polymer aggregation and methods of de-aggregation are reported. For the unassociated system the dependence of dielectric properties on concentration and temperature was studied. On the basis of such information the nature of the aggregation and the mechanism of relaxation are discussed and estimates of the presistence length of the helix are reported.

The incorporation of the D-enantiomorph into the polymer chain affects the magnitude of the dipole moment and the relaxation frequency and a study of these parameters as a function of copolymer composition is reported. From these data and measurements of optical rotatory dispersion the varying stages of helix disruption, induced by increasing enantiomorphic disorder, are demonstrated.