Determination of scattering parameters of polyvinyl alcohol by static laser scattering

Static laser scattering (SLS) is one of the most efficient techniques used for the molecular weight determination of polymer. Among of all polymers, polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) polymer was selected. A polystyrene (PS) was used as a standard polymer. A polyvinyl alcohol was investigated for its importance in pharmaceutical, biomedical, and industrial applications. Different concentrations in the range (3-9) × 10−3 g mL−1 were prepared. SLS data were obtained by using a self-built of the laser scattering system. The angular behavior of those selected polymer solutions with different concentrations were studied by plotting the intensity of the scattered light against the scattering angle in the range of 40-140°. By using Zimm plot the weight-average molecular weight Mw, radius of gyration RG, and second virial coefficient A2 of the standard PS and PVA were determined.