Solvent effects in the free radical copolymerization of vinyl acetate and methyl methacrylate

A study was made of the effects of five solvents on the compositions of copolymers of vinyl acetate (VA) and methyl methacrylate (MMA) produced by free radical polymerization from feeds rich in VA. The MMA content was reduced significantly by propanol, unaffected by benzene and ethyl acetate and increased by acetonitrile and acetone. The effects observed for propanol, acetonitrile and acetone all reached a maximum at a solvent to monomer molar ratio of about 7:1. Experiments showed that neither monomer physical aggregation nor monomer carbonyl polarization phenomena could explain completely the observed effects. A complete explanation probably requires several factors including some associated with polymer radical reactivity.     

Micromechanical models of young's modulus of NR/organoclay nanocomposites

Small strain Young's moduli of natural rubber (NR)/organoclay nanocomposites were estimated using the Guth–Gold, Halpin–Tsai (HT), and Krieger–Dougherty (KD) models, and compared with experimental measurements of NR vulcanizates containing organo‐montmorillonite (OM) or organo‐sepiolite (OS). To account for the effect on modulus of the NR matrix of the vulcanization‐active modifier in the organoclay, a matrix modulus correction (MMC) term was derived from the vulcanization parameters of the nanocomposites. The KD model gave a better empirical fit with the experimental data than the Guth–Gold model, with both giving good agreement with particle shape factors estimated from transmission electron microscope (TEM) images. The HT model gave the best fit with experiment for both types of nanocomposite, and use of the MMC term meant that the empirical shape factor was sufficiently close to that estimated from TEM images that the model could potentially be used to accurately predict the Young's moduli of NR/OM and NR/OS nanocomposites. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 49: 1621–1627, 2011     

Electrical and mechanical behavior of filled rubber. III. Dynamic loading and the rate of recovery

Following the earlier articles in this series, the changes in the electrical resistivity and mechanical behavior as a result of static and dynamic deformation have been studied. Cyclic shear and tensile loading were used to follow the changes in stress and resistivity with strain, including the recovery with time from the effects of a large strain as monitored by the small‐strain behavior. The recovery of resistivity from a prestrain was not complete even after 7 days at room temperature or at 50 °C, but swelling with a solvent and subsequent drying produced rapid recovery. It appears from the detailed results that there are two strain regions. Below about 10% the resistance and the modulus are strongly dependent on the filler–filler structure, which can break down and reform fairly readily, but the changes at higher strains are probably influenced by changes in the elastomer matrix and also by slippage at the filler–rubber interface. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 43: 1649–1661, 2005     

Reaction of t-butoxy radicals with norbornadiene

95 percent of the reaction of t-butoxy radical with norbornadiene occurs by radical addition followed by rearrangement to nortricyclyl and 7-t-butoxynorbornenyl products; the remainder includes a novel radical rearrangement involving a 1,3-H shift and some radical abstraction observed for the first time.     

Initiation mechanisms in copolymerization: Reaction of t-butoxyl radicals with co-monomers ethyl vinyl ether and methyl methacrylate

The radical trapping technique employing 1,1,3,3-tetramethyl-1,3-dihydro-1H-isoindol-2-yloxyl as a scavenger has been used to investigate the reaction of t-butoxyl radicals with mixtures of ethyl vinyl ether and methyl methacrylate. The range of identified products includes those from both addition and hydrogen abstraction with both monomers, head addition with ethyl vinyl ether, and some second monomer addition products. Relative rate constants have been obtained for various pairs of constituent reactions. t-Butoxyl radicals add to ethyl vinyl ether one to two times faster than to methyl methacrylate, depending on which monomer is in excess. The ratio is less than 1 in nonolefinic solvents and as high as 6 in t-butanol. This solvent effect is thought to be due to the radicals complexing to either methyl methacrylate or t-butanol (H-bonding), thereby increasing its electrophilic character. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Identifying crosslinks in polyethylene following gamma-irradiation in acetylene: A model compound study

Long-chain linear alkanes have been used as model compounds for polyethylene in an attempt to identify the chemical nature of crosslinks formed in polyethylene when it undergoes γ-irradiation in the presence of acetylene. IR and UV spectral analysis of alkanes and polyethylene following acetylene-sensitized irradiation shows the formation of vinyl, trans-vinylene, and diene groups. A correlation of the conditions of formation suggests that in polyethylene the vinyl groups are restricted to amorphous regions, diene groups are restricted to the crystalline regions, and trans-vinylene groups are formed in both regions. There is no information on the nature of crosslinks. ¹³C-NMR analysis of alkanes following irradiation of molten alkanes in the presence of ¹³C-enriched acetylene has shown that a range of saturated alphatic structures are formed by inclusion of acetylene molecules in the alkane structure. They include ethyl branches, γ-branches, CH(CH₃) , and  CH₂ CH₂ branches as the major species; the latter two are potential crosslink sites in the irradiation of polyethylene. In addition, the NMR analysis confirmed that the C atoms of the vinyl groups come from acetylene molecules and those of the trans-vinylene groups come from alkane molecules. Data on irradiation of the alkanes in the crystalline state showed that acetylene inclusion in the alkane structure is minimal under these conditions. The principal finding of this work is that acetylene can be incorporated as saturated aliphatic crosslinks in the amorphous regions of polyethylene during high-energy irradiation. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 35: 1549–1561, 1997     

Initiation mechanisms in free radical polymerization: Competitive reaction of cyanoisopropyl radicals with styrene and acrylonitrile

The competitive reactions of cyanoisopropyl radicals with the mixed monomers styrene and acrylonitrile have been investigated using the nitroxide radical trapping technique. When the trap concentration is kept low, second, third, and even fourth generation (in terms of successive monomer addition) carbon radicals have been observed as trapped products. The ratio of rate constants for the addition of styrene and acrylonitrile to cyanoisopropyl radicals is 2.7 at 75°C and 5.3 at 105°C. These values are compared with the ratios for reactions of these two monomers with a number of other radicals and discussed in terms of the polarities of the radicals and monomers. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J. Polym. Sci. A Polym. Chem. 36: 2169–2176, 1998     

Thermal decomposition mechanisms of tert-alkyl peroxypivalates studied by the nitroxide radical trapping technique

The thermolysis of a series of tert-alkyl peroxypivalates 1 in cumene has been investigated by using the nitroxide radical-trapping technique. tert-Alkoxyl radicals generated from the thermolysis underwent the unimolecular reactions, beta-scission, and 1,5-H shift, competing with hydrogen abstraction from cumene. The absolute rate constants for beta-scission of tert-alkoxyl radicals, which vary over 4 orders of magnitude, indicate the vastly different behavior of alkoxyl radicals. However, the radical generation efficiencies of 1 varied only slightly, from 53 (R = Me) to 63% (R = Bu(t)()), supporting a mechanism involving concerted two-bond scission within the solvent cage to generate the tert-butyl radical, CO(2), and an alkoxyl radical. The thermolysis rate constants of tert-alkyl peroxypivalates 1 were influenced by both inductive and steric effects [Taft-Ingold equation, log(rel k(d)) = (0.97 +/- 0. 14)Sigmasigma - (0.31 +/- 0.04)SigmaE(s)(c), was obtained].     

Volume changes under strain resulting from the incorporation of rubber granulates into a rubber matrix

The strength of an elastomer is in part determined by the size of the intrinsic flaws that are present. It has been observed that the incorporation of rubber granulates into a virgin matrix results in a reduction in strength and this has previously been attributed to an increase in the intrinsic flaw size. The precise nature of this intrinsic flaw is the subject of this investigation. Fundamental questions concerning the change in flaw size with strain and the reduction in strength resulting from a weaker interface have been investigated using volume change experiments. Initial experiments on carbon black filled rubber with no granulates incorporated have shown no significant volume change under strain. This contrasts with granulate filled materials whose experimentally measured volume changes with strain were seen to be substantially greater. Microstructural finite element analysis has revealed how this change in volume might result from a net increase in the flaw size with increasing strain. This work suggests that flaw size increases in a characteristic way with strain for materials where the matrix and granulates have a similar modulus, whereas a modulus mismatch between the matrix and the recycled granulate results in much larger volume changes and hence greater flaw size which also appears to increase with strain. This work emphasizes the importance in practical applications of matching the modulus of recycled granulate materials to that of the new virgin material in the matrix. This article introduces a novel technique for examining small changes in the interfacial bonding mechanisms under strain such as that caused by surface modification techniques. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 45: 3169–3180, 2007