Kinetics of polyelectrolyte network formation in free-radical copolymerization of acrylic acid and bisacrylamide

Recently, a research/development program has been initiated to investigate the kinetics of synthesis, characterization and applications of polyelectrolyte networks. The research on crosslinking involves both theoretical development and experimentation. Herein, is provided a summary of this work. In the experimental polymerization done to date, acrylic acid (AA)/N.N'-methylenebisacrylamide (BAM) was studied in considerable detail. The polymerization conditions were: temperature, 50°C; initial monomer concentration, 5 wt%, of which 1.0 mol% is BAM; K₂S₂O₈(KPS) as the initiator, 10⁻³ mol/L; pH range, 1 − 13; sodium chloride concentrations up to 3.1 mol/L. Measurements included: monomer conversion, polymer composition, sol/gel fraction, swelling ratio, and the densities of primary cyclization, secondary cyclization and crosslinking. It was found that the effect of polymerization parameters on the resulting polymer network microstructure was dramatic, and in particular, the pH and ionic strength of the reaction medium were important parameters. In the theoretical studies, the Tobita-Hamielec kinetic gelation model was extended to incorporate the concept of ion pair interaction and the divinyl loop formation. The system was treated as a multi-component polymerization of acrylic acid, acrylate ion, acrylate ion pair and bisacrylamide. The model permits one to investigate the development of the crosslinking density distribution among primary polymer chains during the course of polymerization as a function of pH and ionic strength.     

Studies of higher temperature polymerization of n-butyl methacrylate and n-butyl acrylate

Free-radical acrylic polymerizations of n-butyl methacrylate and n-butyl acrylate at temperatures above 120°C show significant departure from classic free-radical kinetics. An extended model of depropagation, where the equilibrium monomer concentration varies with temperature and polymer content, is postulated and shown to adequately explain the data for n-butyl methacrylate. Intramolecular chain transfer and scission is postulated to explain the apparent reduction in molecular weight and rate of polymerization seen in n-butyl acrylate polymerization, with supporting experimental evidence found via electrospray-ionization mass spectrometry.     

Prediction of polymer composition in batch emulsion copolymerization

Monomer partitioning in emulsion copolymerization plays a key role in determining composition drift and polymerization rates. The combination of recently developed thermodynamically based monomer partitioning relationships with mass balance equations, makes predictions of monomer partitioning in emulsion copolymerizations possible in terms of monomer mole fractions and monomer concentrations in the particle and aqueous phases. Using this approach, the effects of monomer to water ratios and polymer volumes on the monomer mole fraction within the polymer particle phase in a nonpolymerizing system at thermodynamic equilibrium can be determined. Comparison of these monomer partitioning predictions with experiments for the monomer system methyl acrylate—vinyl acetate shows good agreement. Furthermore, composition drift occurring in a polymerizing system as a function of conversion can be predicted if the assumption is made that equilibrium is maintained during reaction. Comparison of predictions with experimental results for emulsion copolymerizations of the monomer systems methyl acrylate—vinyl acetate and methyl acrylate—indene shows good agreement. © 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Reaction kinetics and gel effect on the polymerization of 2‐ethoxyethyl methacrylate and 2(2‐ethoxyethoxy) ethyl methacrylate

Polymerization kinetics at several temperatures of 2‐ethoxyethyl methacrylate (EEMA) and 2(2‐ethoxyethoxy) ethyl methacrylate (DEMA) in bulk and in dioxane solutions are described. The gel effect was never detected at monomer concentrations equal to or lower than 1 mol L^?1, although in the bulk polymerization both monomers display the gel effect at very low conversions. Because of the influence of the efficiency factor f on the polymerization rate, a theoretical kinetic interpretation of the changes in f with monomer and initiator concentrations and kinetic parameters was performed to achieve a better understanding of the mechanisms involved in radical polymerization. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 40: 3987–4001, 2002     

Study of polymerization kinetics of acrylic and methacrylic acid esters at low conversions

The kinetics of high-energy radiation initiated polymerization of acrylate and methacrylate monomers were studied in dilute cyclohexane solutions. The absorption spectra of the intermediates were obtained by pulse radiolysis with optical detection. In solutions of acrylates at longer times after the pulse the presence of oligomer radicals was observed. In solutions of methacrylates the beginning of the oligomerization reaction was detected at higher monomer concentrations. From the kinetic curves the rate coefficients of termination were calculated.     

Kinetic study of light-induced polymerization by real-time UV and IR spectroscopy

Real time ultraviolet (RTUV) spectroscopy was used to study the photolysis kinetics of a radical-type morpholino initiator, during the polymerization of a multiacrylate monomer exposed to UV radiation in bulk, in solution, in a polyurethane-acrylate resin, and in a poly(methyl methacrylate) matrix. The photolysis rate constant k was determined from the exponential loss profile recorded; it was found to vary between 0.1 and 3s^?1, depending on the light intensity and on the monomer concentration. The quenching of the photoinitiator excited states by the acrylate monomer was shown to be an important deactivation pathway which substantially reduces the rate of initiation. The observed influence of the film thickness and photoinitiator concentration on the k value were accounted for by the internal filter effect. Conversion versus time curves were recorded by real time infrared (RTIR) spectroscopy for the various systems examined, thus allowing a direct comparison of both the actual polymerization rate and the residual unsaturation content of the cured polymer. Various factors were shown to be responsible for the early stop of the polymerization, such as depletion of the photoinitiator, O₂ inhibition, or vitrification of the polymer. The photoinitiated cationic ring-opening polymerization of a cycloaliphatic diepoxy monomer was also studied in real time by RTUV and RTIR spectroscopy. Despite a very fast photolysis of the triarylsulphonium initiator, the polymerization of the epoxy monomer developed less rapidly than for the acrylic monomer, with shorter kinetic chain lengths. A linear relationship was found to exist between the decay rate constant and the light intensity, for both the radical and the cationic photoinitiators, as expected for a direct photolysis process.     

含疏水链节的聚N-异丙基丙烯酰胺共聚物的温敏性

采用溶液聚合法合成了一系列N-异丙基丙烯酰胺(NIPAM)与甲基丙烯酸甲酯、丙烯酸乙酯、丙烯酸丁酯或甲基丙烯酸丁酯的无规共聚物,用浊度观测法和光散射法测定了不同共聚物水溶液的温敏相转变行为.结果表明:所得共聚物的低临界溶解温度(LCST)均低于均聚物PNIPAM的,酯类单体的结构和含量对共聚物的LCST有显著影响,其中酯基上的烷基对共聚物LCST的影响能力大于丙烯酸酯α位上的烷基,前者对增大共聚物的疏水性有更大贡献.通过NIPAM与特定丙烯酸酯单体进行无规共聚可以合成转变温度低于PNIPAM均聚物且具有预设LCST数值的水溶性温敏聚合物.     

Semi-interpenetrating polymer networks synthesis by photocrosslinking of acrylic monomers in a polymer matrix

Semi-interpenetrating polymer networks have been obtained by UV-radiation curing of acrylate monomers dispersed in a polymer matrix, using an arylketone as photoinitiator. The polymerization kinetics was studied quantitatively by infrared spectroscopy for the various polymers examined: polyurethane, poly(vinyl chloride), poly(methyl methacrylate). The fastest reaction occurs in PVC films, where UV-curing develops extensively within a fraction of a second, leading to an insoluble and highly resistant material. The functionality of the acrylic monomer has a strong influence on the formulation reactivity, as well as on the mechanical and chemical properties of the final product. In PMMA, the polymerization was shown to continue to proceed efficiently for a few seconds after the UV exposure, even in the presence of air, due to both the high concentration of initiating radicals generated by the intense irradiation and the slow termination processes in solid media. © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Synthesis of monodisperse polymer suspensions with a narrow particle size distribution in the presence of water-insoluble triple block copolymers of polypropylene oxide and polyethylene oxide (pluronics)

The colloidal chemical properties of triple block copolymers of polypropylene oxide and polyethylene oxide (pluronics of various structures) were studied in comparison. All of them are shown to be surfactants but differ in interfacial tension, surface activity, surface area occupied in the adsorption layer, and adsorption layer thickness. The kinetic regularities of polymerization of styrene and methyl methacrylate were studied. The particle diameters and their size distribution were determined. Distinctions in the kinetic regularities of polymerization are shown: the shape of the conversion—time curves (for the duration of the initial and stationary stages of polymerization) and the dependences of the diameter on the surfactant concentration and monomer to water volume ratio. In the presence of the water-insoluble pluronics, the mechanism of formation of polymer—monomer particles and interfacial layer on the surface differs from that when using water-soluble surfactants, which makes it possible to distinguish these processes into an independent type of heterophase polymerization.

     

Kinetic study of the alternating copolymerization of butadiene and methyl methacrylate

A kinetic investigation of the alternating copolymerization of butadiene and methyl methacrylate with the use of a system of ethylaluminum dichloride and vanadyl chloride as a catalyst was undertaken. The relation between the polymer yield and the molar fraction of methyl methacrylate in the feed was examined by continuous variation of butadiene and methyl methacrylate, the concentrations of total monomer, ethylaluminum dichloride, and vanadyl chloride being kept constant. This continuous variation method revealed that the polymer yield attains its maximum value with a monomer feed containing less than the 0.5 molar fraction of methyl methacrylate. This value of the molar fraction of methyl methacrylate affording the maximum polymer yield decreased on increasing the total monomer concentration but was not changed on varying the concentration of ethylaluminum dichloride. The number of active species estimated from the relation between yield and molecular weight of the polymer was almost constant, regardless of the molar fraction of methyl methacrylate in the feed. Consequently, it can be said that the maximum polymer yield depends mainly on the propagation reaction, not on the initiation reaction or the termination reaction. Three types of the mechanism have been discussed for this alternating copolymerization: polymerization via alternating addition of butadiene and methyl methacrylate complexed with ethylaluminum dichloride by the Lewis-Mayo scheme; polymerization via the ternary intermediate of butadiene, methyl methacrylate, and ethylaluminum dichloride; polymerization via the complex formation of butadiene and methyl methacrylate complexed with ethylaluminum dichloride occurring only at the growing polymer radical. From the kinetic results obtained, it was shown that the first and third schemes are excluded, and polymerization by way of the ternary intermediate is compatible with the data.     

Graft polymers with macromonomers. II. Copolymerization kinetics of methacrylate-terminated polystyrene and predicted graft copolymer structures

Copolymerization studies of methacrylate-terminated polystyrene macromonomers (M₁) with several comonomers (M₂) verified the modified kinetic scheme and permitted prediction of graft polymer compositions and structures. Instantaneous and cumulative copolymer compositions, average graft distributions, and grafts per molecule are predicted from FORTRAN IV or BASIC programs. The r₂ relative reactivity ratios determined from styrene copolymerization (0.61) or from low conversion acrylic monomer in aqueous suspension (～0.4) had good agreement with literature values (about 0.6 and 0.4, respectively). Decreased macromonomer reactivity determined at high acrylic monomer conversions was attributed to phase separation phenomena. The Macromers also exhibited lower reactivity than predicted when copolymerized with acrylic monomers in DMSO/benzene solutions (r₂ ～ 0.8).     

Emulsifier-free polymerization of <Emphasis Type="Italic">n</Emphasis>-butyl acrylate involving trithiocarbonates based on oligomer acrylic acid

The effect of the chain length of oligomer acrylic acid obtained in the presence of a low-molecularmass trithiocarbonate and the position of trithiocarbonate fragment (within the chain or at the chain end) on the process of emulsion polymerization of n-butyl acrylate and characteristics of the resulting dispersions has been studied for the first time. It has been found that, when using an oligomer with trithiocarbonate group located within the chain in the emulsion polymerization of n-butyl acrylate in a wide range of monomer–water phase compositions, triblock copolymers self-organizing in aqueous medium to give stable particles with the core–shell structure are formed. Oligomers with M _n ～ (5–10) × 10³ are optimal for synthesis of stable dispersions. In this case, block copolymers with the controlled length of hydrophobic block and a rather narrow MWD may be obtained. Thin films formed from these copolymers retain the structure of the initial dispersions on solvent removal. If the trithiocarbonate group in the oligomer is located at the chain end, the main polymerization product is a diblock copolymer. In this case, the formation of polymer–monomer particles occurs during a longer period of time, the control of MWD is weakened, and the dispersions of particles lose the aggregative stability after thin film formation.     

Polymerisation purement thermique de l'acide acrylique en masse et en solution

The thermal polymerization of acrylic acid in bulk is faster than that of styrene. The conversion curves exhibit auto-acceleration and the product contains a significant fraction of syndiotactic polymer. The overall activation energy is 14 kcal/mol. The rate of the thermal polymerization decreases sharply when the monomer is diluted with toluene. In 50% monomer solutions, the conversion curves are linear and the overall activation energy is 29.8 kcal/mol. With 75 and 90% monomer solutions, the Arrhenius diagrams showed breaks caused by a change in the type of auto-association of the monomer. A comparison of these results with earlier findings obtained in the radiation polymerization of acrylic acid makes it possible to estimate the activation energies of the thermal initiation. It is found that E_i is 14.1 kcal/mol in systems where the monomer forms linear oligomeric association complexes and 34.4 kcal/mol if only cyclic dimers are present in the system.     

Preparation of gradient copolymers via ATRP in miniemulsion. II. Forced gradient

A series of forced gradient copolymers with different controlled distribution of monomer units along the copolymer backbone were successfully prepared by atom transfer radical polymerization in miniemulsion. The newly developed initiation technique, known as activators generated by electron transfer, was beneficial for forced gradient copolymers preparation because all polymer chains were initiated within the miniemulsion droplets and the miniemulsion remained stable throughout the entire polymerization. Various monomer pairs with different reactivity ratios were examined in this study, including n‐butyl acrylate/t‐butyl acrylate, n‐butyl methacrylate/methyl methacrylate, and n‐butyl acrylate/styrene. In each case, the added monomer diffused across the aqueous suspending medium and gradient copolymers with different forced distributions of comonomer units along the polymer backbone were obtained. The shape of the gradient along the backbone of the copolymers was influenced by the molar ratio of the monomers, the reactivity ratio of the comonomers as well as the feeding rate. The shape of the gradient was also affected by the relative hydrophobicities of the comonomers. Copolymerizations exhibited good control for all feeding rates and comonomer feeding ratios, as evidenced by narrow molecular weight distribution (M_w/M_n = 1.20–1.40) and molecular weight increasing smoothly with polymer yield, indicating high initiation efficiency. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 45: 1413–1423, 2007     

Polymerization of surface-active monomers and applications

The results on radical polymerization and copolymerization of alkyl bromide salts of 2-dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate having a different alkyl chain length in various solvents giving micellar and isotropic solutions are summarized to obtain an insight into micellar polymerization. The monomer micellization of the cationic surface-active monomers at concentrations far above their critical micelle concentration (cmc) leads to great increases in the rate of polymerization and the molecular weight of the resulting polymers for both aqueous and inverse micellar systems and the tendency toward alternation of the copolymerization for aqueous micellar systems, whereas it has little influence on the tacticity of the resulting polymers. Applications of the polimerization and the copolymerization of the surface-active monomer to the polymer encapsulation of silica particles are also reported.     

Self‐Initiated Photopolymerization and Photografting of Acrylic Monomers

Summary: This work demonstrates that acrylic acid (AA), glycidyl acrylate (GA) and several other acrylic monomers can be photopolymerized and photografted onto high‐density polyethylene (HDPE) by self‐initiation. The self‐initiation mechanism of these acrylic monomers is possibly by an excitation of the monomer to a triplet state (T₃) with enough energy to abstract hydrogen from the polymer substrate and initiate the grafting.

Grafting conversion of acrylic acid (AA), methacrylic acid (MAA), 2‐hydroxyethyl acrylate (HEA), glycidyl acrylate (GA), 2‐hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA) and poly(ethylene glycol) methacrylate (PEGMA) as a function of irradiation time.     

Are o‐nitrobenzyl (meth)acrylate monomers polymerizable by controlled‐radical polymerization?

We report on the controlled‐radical polymerization of the photocleavable o‐nitrobenzyl methacrylate (NBMA) and o‐nitrobenzyl acrylate (NBA) monomers. Atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP), reversible addition‐fragmentation chain transfer polymerization (RAFT), and nitroxide‐mediated polymerization (NMP) have been evaluated. For all methods used, the acrylate‐type monomer does not polymerize, or polymerizes very slowly in a noncontrolled manner. The methacrylate‐type monomer can be polymerized by RAFT with some degree of control (PDI ∼ 1.5) but leading to molar masses up to 11,000 g/mol only. ATRP proved to be the best method since a controlled‐polymerization was achieved when conversions are limited to 30%. In this case, polymers with molar masses up to 17,000 g/mol and polydispersity index as low as 1.13 have been obtained. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 47: 6504–6513, 2009     

Multimonomer partitioning in latex systems with moderately water-soluble monomers

Simple equations describing monomer partitioning in latices during intervals 2 and 3 in emulsion polymerization with any number of low to moderately water soluble monomers were derived from the extended Morton equation by making various assumptions. It appears that it is mainly the combinatorial entropy of mixing that governs the partitioning behavior, and that other contributions to the free energy of the monomers in the polymer particles are marginal. Experimental results with styrene, methyl methacrylate, and methyl acrylate confirm the validity of the assumptions. In interval 3 of emulsion polymerization the sum of all contributions to the free energy of the monomers in the particles other than the combinatorial entropy of mixing can be taken as a constant that is dependent only on the monomer composition in the particles and independent of the degree of swelling of the particles. The only parameters one needs to know to calculate the monomer concentrations in all phases with help of the derived equations, are the saturation concentrations of each monomer in the polymer particles, and the saturation concentrations of each monomer in the aqueous phase. © 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Synthesis and kinetics of polymerization of hydrophilic monomers: 2,3-dihydroxypropylacrylate and 2,3-dihydroxypropylmethacrylate

Unsaturated monomers containing none, one, or two hydroxyl groups were obtained by the reaction of glycerol (1,2,3-trihydroxypropane) with acrylic and methacrylic chloride. The experimental values of the mole fractions of the different monomers were compared with those theoretically obtained by considering different mechanisms involving two or seven kinetic constants. Agreement between the theoretical and experimental results could only be achieved by assuming that the reactivity of the hydroxyl groups changed with the presence of the substituents. The investigation of the radical polymerizations 2,3-dihydroxypropylacrylate (GA) and 2,3-dihydroxypro- pylmethacrylate (GM) was carried out at several temperatures in water–dioxane solutions. Ultraviolet spectroscopic techniques were used to determine the kinetic constants, and the results were compared with those obtained in the same conditions for methyl acrylate, methyl methacrylate, 2-hydroxyethylacrylate, and 2-hydroxyethylmethacrylate. The values of the ratio k_p/k_t^1/2 for the methacrylic monomer GM were higher than 0.5 L^1/2 mol^−1/2 s^−1/2 at temperatures between 50 and 65 °C. These values exceeded 2 L^1/2 mol^−1/2 s^−1/2 for the acrylic monomer GA, perhaps the highest values reported for this kind of monomer. Electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy was also used to study the polymerization of GM. All the polymers were soluble in the reaction mixture until very high conversions, and the gel effect was never detected at monomer concentrations equal to or lower than 1 mol L⁻¹. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 39: 1843–1853, 2001     

双官能度引发剂引发苯乙烯聚合微观动力学

采用 2 ,5 二甲基 2 ,5 二己酰基过氧化己烷 (DMDEHPH)为引发剂 ,在 5 5～ 80℃下引发苯乙烯聚合 .通过研究影响聚合速率的各种因素 ,得出了聚合速率对单体浓度和引发剂浓度的级数分别为 1 0和 0 5次、聚合活化能为 92 0kJ mol、引发效率为 0 5 5± 0 0 3.温度一定 ,引发效率随引发剂浓度的增加而减小 .求得 6 0和70℃下DMDEHPH向引发剂的链转移常数分别为 0 0 37和 0 0 4 8、向单体的链转移常数分别为 0 5 9× 10 - 4和0 75× 10 - 4.