Fractal aggregate model of chain with mixed statistics

A fractal aggregate model is presented for chain molecules which are described by different statistics on different length scales. It describes the macromolecular chains as aggregates composed either of non-porous monomers or thermal blobs. The mass of non-porous monomer and the thermal blob mass are both dependent on the solvent quality. The blob mass can be calculated knowing the non-porous monomer mass in a solvent under consideration and that at the theta condition. Both the quantities can be deduced from the solution properties. The values of thermal blob mass normalized by that of monomer, deduced from intrinsic viscosity data for several polymers, form a dependence on Mark–Houvink–Sakurada exponent. This dependence is confirmed by the solvent quality dependence of the polymer mass at the onset of excluded volume behavior and some values obtained from sedimentation coefficients.