NSE-study of poly(N-vinylcaprolactam) by coil-globule transition

Poly(N-vinylcaprolactam) was studied by SANS and NSE around the coil-globule transition (T-C = 32 degreesC) at the threshold of overlapping of molecules in D2O-solution (C = 0.5 wt%, mass M = 1 x 10(6)). For T greater than or equal to T-C chain units' interaction grown by temperature increase makes coils collapsed. In the dynamics, an anomalous behaviour was observed: together with a slowing down of the diffusion as in the Rouse model, in the globular state the chains demonstrate fast stretched oscillations. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.