Bottlebrush Polymers Collaboration with Prof. T. Pakula at the Max-Planck-Institute for Polymer Research (MPIP), Mainz, Germany and Prof. K. Matyjaszewski at the Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh,USA.

Bottlebrush macromolecules also called comb polymers represent another class of regular branched macromolecules where a large number of side chains are densely grafted to a linear backbone. The interest in cylindrical comb polymer brushes is related to the possibility to form stiff cylindrical shape persistent structures based exclusively on the intra-molecular excluded volume interaction. This might play an important role in modifying the rheological properties of homopolymers [1] for example. We are studying the shape and the internal structure by small angle neutron scattering in solution at low concentrations. The experimental results are compared with computer simulation experiments [3, 4]. Depending on the length of the macromolecular bottlebrush compared to the persistence length lyotropic behavior with increasing concentration can be expected. Scattering experiments in combination with insitu-rheology in the high concentration range are also of interest. [1] R.V. Talroze et al., Poly. Adv. Techn. 7 (1996) 182 [2] M. Saariaho, Macromolecules 32 (1999) 4439 [3] T. Pakula, Comp. Theor. Polym. Sci. 8 (1998) 21 [4] T. Pakula et al., Macromolecules 25 (1998) 8931