Miniemulsion copolymerization of vinyl acetate and butyl acrylate. I. Differences between the miniemulsion copolymerization and the emulsion copolymerization processes

Differences between the emulsion copolymerization and miniemulsion copolymerization processes, in terms of emulsifier adsorption, emulsion stability, polymerization kinetics, copolymer composition and dynamic mechanical properties were studied for the comonomer mixture of 50:50 molar ratio vinyl acetate (VA+)—butyl acrylate (BuA), using sodium hexadecyl sulfate (SHS) as a surfactant and hexadecane (HD) as a co-surfactant. The use of hexadecane with the appropriate SHS initial concentration led to a higher adsorption of surfactant, smaller droplet size, higher stability of the emulsions, lower polymerization rates, and larger latex particle size. The copolymer composition during the initial 70% conversion was found to be less rich in Vac monomer units for the miniemulsion process. The dynamic mechanical properties of the copolymer films showed less mixing between the BuA-rich core and the VAc-rich shell in the miniemulsion latexes compared to the conventional latex films.     

Studies on graft copolymerization onto cellulose derivatives. XXVII. Photo-induced graft copolymerization onto nitrocellulose

Photo-induced graft copolymerization was investigated using nitrocellulose having a different nitrogen content, especially by a noncatalytic method. The effects of a sample nitrogen content, reaction temperature, and monomer, sample, solvent and photosensitizer concentrations on the degree of grafting, the grafting efficiency, and the apparent number of grafted chains were examined. Methyl methacrylate (MMA) and methyl acrylate (MA) easily polymerized, but acrylamide (AAm), vinyl acetate (VAc), and styrene (St) scarcely polymerized. The apparent activation energies were 4.1–11.5 kcal/mol, indicating the small value in the high nitrogen content sample. The degree of grafting and the apparent number of grafted chains increased with increasing monomer and sample concentrations. In every case, the grafting efficiency was at a high level, above 90%. The polymerization did not occur without the sample in the same condition. Furthermore, a part of nitro groups split off by the irradiation of light. With respect to these results, the mechanisms of the photo graft copolymerization was discussed.     

Miniemulsion copolymerization of vinyl acetate and butyl acrylate. IV. Kinetics of the copolymerization

The copolymerization kinetics of conventional emulsions and miniemulsions of 50:50 and 25:75 molar ratios vinyl acetate–butyl acrylate monomer mixtures were studied using sodium hexadecyl sulfate as surfactant. Hexadecane was the cosurfactant used in the preparation of the miniemulsions, and ammonium persulfate was the initiator used in the polymerizations. The rate of polymerization showed four regions which extended to different conversions depending on the type of emulsion used (conventional or miniemulsion). The rate of polymerization for the miniemulsion process was always slower than for the conventional process. The dependence of the rate on the initiator concentration was higher for the miniemulsion process. The number of particles nucleated in the miniemulsion copolymerization process was lower than in the conventional emulsion copolymerization process. The initiator and surfactant concentration dependence of the number of particles were 0.8 and 0.25 for the miniemulsion copolymerization process and 0.0 and 0.68 for the conventional emulsion copolymerization process respectively. These effects were attributed to the different particle nucleation mechanism operating in each process.     

Kinetics of radical copolymerization—VIII Investigation of the effect of molecular inhibitors in copolymerization—1. Bulk copolymerization

The stoichiometry of the inhibition reaction was studied in AN-MA, AN-St and MA-St copolymerization systems in the presence of nitroso-type molecular inhibitors. According to our experiments, the stoichiometric coefficient of the inhibitor depends on the initial composition of monomers. The hot radical theory, elaborated for the inhibition of polymerization, was extended to the inhibited copolymerization; this theory made it possible to explain and to describe quantitatively the variation of experimental μ value with the initial monomer composition.     

Asymmetric induction copolymerization. Cationic copolymerization of l-menthyl vinyl ether with indene and acenaphthylene

l-Menthyl vinyl ether (l-MVE) was homopolymerized and copolymerized with the monomers indene (IN) and acenaphthylene (ANp) by BF₃OEt₂ as a catalyst. The chiral menthyl substituent was cloven from the homopolymers and copolymers using dry-hydrogen bromide gas. After the removal of optically active menthyl group, poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) from l-MVE homopolymer was optically inactive, and copolymers (VA-IN, VA-ANp) from l-MVE-IN and l-MVE-ANp copolymers were still optically active. Hence, in the case of l-MVE homopolymer, it was concluded that asymmetric induction in the polymer main chain can only produce pseudoasymmetry. In the case of l-MVE-IN and l-MVE-ANp copolymers, it was found that asymmetric induction proceeded in the copolymer main chain and was caused by the influence of chiral menthyl group.     

Organoborazines. III. Homo- and copolymerization of p-vinylphenylcyclotriborazines

The polymerization and copolymerization with styrene of a series of unsymmetrically B-p-vinylphenyl-N-methyl and N-phenyl borazines [R³(R²)₂B₃N₃(R¹)₃; R¹ = methyl, phenyl, R² = methyl phenyl, R³ = p-vinylphenyl] has been studied. The polymerization of these monomers yielded both tractable and crosslinked materials. The polymers obtained were characterized by ¹H- and ¹³C-NMR spectroscopy, elemental analysis, gel permeation chromatography, and thermogravimeteric analysis. The reactivity ratios for the copolymerization reaction were calculated by the Mortimer-Tidwell method.     

Radical copolymerization of acrylic monomers. IV. Effect of substituents on the radical polymerization and copolymerization of phenyl acrylates

The kinetics of radical polymerization of phenyl, ortho-chlorophenyl, and para-chlorophenyl acrylates, as well as their copolymerization with methyl methacrylate, have been studied dilatometrically. The results obtained indicate that the overall rate of polymerization is affected by the flexibility of the growing radicals. However, the copolymerization of these monomers with methyl methacrylate gives overall rates rather similar for all three systems, being fundamentally regulated by the formation of reversible π complexes between the donor aromatic rings and the acceptor methacrylic double bonds. Dilatometric methods for the study of the copolymerization reactions have been tested and the corresponding binary bonding frequencies B_ij and conversion factors K_ij have been calculated for the copolymerization of ortho- and para-chlorophenyl acrylates with methyl methacrylate.     

Graft copolymerization onto rubber. V. Graft copolymerization of methyl methacrylate onto rubber using potassium peroxydiphosphate as initiator

The graft copolymerization of methyl methacrylate onto natural rubber (NR) is investigated using potassium peroxydiphosphate as the initiator. The rate of grafting is determined by varying monomer concentration, peroxydiphosphate concentration, and temperature. The graft yield increased with an increase in monomer concentration up to 1.4082M/L and thereafter the graft yield decreases. The graft yield increases significantly with an increase of peroxydiphosphate concentration up to 150 X 10^-1M/L and thereafter the graft yield decreases. The grafting reaction is temperature dependent. A suitable kinetic scheme is proposed and the rate equation is evaluated.     

Block copolymerization. V. Block anionic polymerization of lactams

Bischloroformates of hydroxy-terminated poly(tetramethylene glycol) (PTG) and polystyrene (PSt) were prepared and used as the initiators for the anionic polymerization of α-pyrrolidone and ε-caprolactam in bulk at 30°C and 80°C, respectively. Initiation efficiency was sufficiently high to give well-defined nylon–PTG(or PSt)–nylon block copolymers. Both the yield and the viscosity of the block copolymer increased with polymerization time up to 50% conversion of the lactam.     

Free‐radical copolymerization of styrene with butyl acrylate. II. Elemental kinetic copolymerization step predictions from homopolymerization data

The free‐radical copolymerization of styrene and butyl acrylate has been carried out in benzene at 50 °C. The lumped k _p/k parameter (where k _p and k _t are the average copolymerization propagation and termination rate constants, respectively) has been determined. Applying the implicit penultimate unit model for the overall copolymerization propagation rate coefficient and the terminal unit effect for the overall copolymerization termination rate coefficient and using the homopolymerization kinetic coefficients, we have found good qualitative agreement between the experimental and theoretical k _p/k values. The variation of the copolymerization rate in solution with respect to the values previously found in bulk has been ascribed to a chain length effect on the copolymerization termination rate coefficient. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 42: 130–136, 2004     

Studies on graft copolymerization onto cellulose derivatives. XXIX. Photo-induced graft copolymerization of methyl methacrylate onto chitin and oxychitin

Graft copolymerization of methyl methacrylate (MMA) onto chitin and oxidized chitin was carried out by a noncatalytic photo-induced and a photo-sensitized method. The isolation method of grafted chains without a decrease in their degree of polymerization (DP) by sulfuric acid hydrolysis and the effects of some factors on the conversion and the grafted chain length have been studied. In case of the photo-induced graft copolymerization, if a small amount of dimethylformaldehyde (DMF) is added in the polymerization system, the induction period is shortened and the degree of grafting and the apparent number of grafted chains increase. The degree of grafting and the apparent number of grafted chains of the oxidized chitin containing a small amount of C?O groups are greater than those of the untreated chitin, but a further increase in C?O groups decreases these values. In the presence of this two species of the chitin samples, the polymerization reaction was carried out as functions of monomer and chitin concentrations. From these results, the mechanisms of the photo-induced graft copolymerization were discussed. It is also clear that the conversion and the apparent number of grafted chains by the noncatalytic photo-induced method are generally larger than those by the photo-sensitized method, and the grafting activity with hydrogen peroxide (HPO) is higher than that with azobisisobutyronitrile (AIBN).     

Aminimides. IV. Homo- and copolymerization studies on trimethylamine methacrylimide

Trimethylamine methacrylimide (TAMI) has been homo- and copolymerized with methyl methacrylate, vinyl acetate, vinyl chloride, hydroxypropyl methacrylate, and acrylonitrile by free-radical initiators to soluble, low molecular weight polymers containing pendant aminimide groups along the backbone of the polymer chains. The reactivity ratios in the copolymerization of TAMI (M₁) with acrylonitrile (M₂) were determined: r₁ = 0.10 ± 0.01, r₂ = 0.37 ± 0.04. The Alfrey-Price Q and e values for TAMI were also calculated: Q = 0.18, e = ?0.60. This preliminary work indicates that TAMI has potential for the preparation of reactive polymers.     

Olefin copolymerization with metallocene catalysts. I. Comparison of catalysts

A number of metallocene/methylaluminoxane (MAO) catalysts have been compared for ethylene/propylene copolymerizations to find relationship between the polymerization activities, copolymer structures, and copolymerization reactivity ratio with the catalyst structures. Stereorigid racemic ethylene bis (indenyl) zirconium dichloride and the tetrahydro derivative exhibit very high activity of 10 ⁷ g (mol Zr h bar)^?1, giving copolymers having comonomer compositions about the same as the feed compositions, molecular weights increasing with the increase of ethylene in the feed, random incorporation of comonomers, and narrow molecular weight distribution indicative of a single catalytic species. Nonbridged bis (indenyl) zirconium behaved differently, favoring the incorporation of ethylene over propylene, producing copolymers whose molecular weight decreases with the increase of ethylene in the feed, broad molecular weight distribution, and a methanol soluble fraction. This catalyst system contains two or more active species. Simple methallocene catalysts have much lower polymerization activities. C_pTiCl₂/MAO produced copolymers with tendency toward alternation, whereas Cp₂HfCl₂/MAO gave copolymer containing short blocks of monomers.