Self and Tracer Diffusion of Polymers in Solution

Abstract

The literature on self- and tracer- diffusion of polymers in solution, and on tracer diffusion of probe polymers through solutions of matrix polymers, is reviewed. I show via systematic reanalysis that the entirety of the published literature has its concentration c and matrix M and probe P molecular weight dependences described by a single functional form, namely the stretched exponential in c, P, and M. Correlations of the scaling prefactor and exponents with polymer molecular weight, concentration, and size are examined. Scaling parameters for the diffusion of star polymers do not differ substantially from scaling parameters for the diffusion of linear chains of equal size.