Dispersity in polymer science (IUPAC Recommendations 2009)

Stepto, Robert F. T.

doi:10.1351/PAC-REC-08-05-02

Pure Appl. Chem., 2009, Vol. 81, No. 2, pp. 351-353

http://dx.doi.org/10.1351/PAC-REC-08-05-02

POLYMER DIVISION
SUBCOMMITTEE ON POLYMER TERMINOLOGY

Dispersity in polymer science (IUPAC Recommendations 2009)

Robert F. T. Stepto

Polymer Science and Technology Group, Manchester Materials Science Centre, School of Materials, The University of Manchester, Grosvenor Street, Manchester, M1 7HS, UK

Abstract: This recommendation defines just three terms, viz., (1) molar-mass dispersity, relative-molecular-mass dispersity, or molecular-weight dispersity; (2) degree- of-polymerization dispersity; and (3) dispersity. "Dispersity" is a new word, coined to replace the misleading, but widely used term "polydispersity index" for M_w/M_n and X_w/X_n. The document, although brief, also has a broader significance in that it seeks to put the terminology describing dispersions of distributions of properties of polymeric (and non-polymeric) materials on an unambiguous and justifiable footing.

Errata to this article were published in:

Pure Appl. Chem., 2009, Vol. 81, No. 4, pp. 779