Solution Viscosity and Relative Reactivity of Branched and Linear Polycarbonates

The relative reactivities of branched and linear polycarbonates were investigated by measuring unreacted chloroformate concentration. It was found that the polymerization for the branched polymer proceeded ca. 10 times faster than that for the linear polymers. The effect of catalyst on a condensation step was studied by changing the amount of TEA (triethylamine) at t₀ and t₆₀ with keeping constant amount of TEA. The viscosity average molecular weight for the obtained branched polycarbonates were measured and compared with those of linear polycarbonates. It was found that the viscosity molecular weights of the obtained polymers decreased nonlinearly as wt % of added oligomer increased. The solution viscosities in methylenechloride for linear and branched polycarbonate increased nonlinearly as the content of polymer increased.