Counterion and solvent effects on the dilute solution viscosity of polystyrene ionomers

We present an analysis of data on the intrinsic viscosity [η] of sulfo‐polystyrene ionomers in several solvents for a variety of sulfonation levels and counterions. For solvents of low dielectric constant, 2 < ε < 18, [η] decreases from the base polymer value [η]0 with increasing substitution level. This behavior was attributed to intramolecular association of ionic dipoles. The ratio [η]/[η]0 was found to depend on a single reduced variable αAαSx, where x is the fractional substitution, αA depends only on the counterion, and αS ∝ ε−1 depends only on the solvent. For solvents of high dielectric constant, 36 < ε < 47, [η] increases approximately as x3, and counterion effects are small. This behavior was attributed to ionic dissociation, giving rise to a polyelectrolyte effect. Implications of the low ε results are discussed in relation to association‐induced gelation behavior and possible generalizations of the reduced variables approach.