Persistence length hydrocarbon chains

The light-scattering behavior of those polysilanes studied indicates that they are slightly extended and stiffened compared with typical polyolefins. One measure of chain flexibility is the characteristic ratio C, which is also shown in the table. The values of C for most polysilanes of about 20 are larger than those for typical hydrocarbon polymers (—10), indicating that the polysilanes are somewhat less flexible than polyolefins. However, poly(diarylsilylene)s are much more rod-like and inflexible, with persistence lengths greater than 100 46... 

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