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“Living” Free Radical Polymerization in Tubular Reactors. I. Modeling of the Complete Molecular Weight Distribution Using Probability Generating Functions |
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| Authors: | Mariano Asteasuain Matheus Soares Marcelo K Lenzi Michael Cunningham Claudia Sarmoria José Carlos Pinto Adriana Brandolin |
| Institution: | 1. Planta Piloto de Ingeniería Química, PLAPIQUI (UNS–CONICET), Camino La Carrindanga Km 7, 8000 Bahía Blanca, ArgentinaPlanta Piloto de Ingeniería Química, PLAPIQUI (UNS–CONICET), Camino La Carrindanga Km 7, 8000 Bahía Blanca, Argentina. Fax: +54 291 486 1600;2. Programa de Engenharia Química/COPPE, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Cidade Universitária, CP: 68502, Rio de Janeiro 21945‐970, RJ, Brazil;3. Departamento de Engenharia Química, Universidade Federal do Paraná, Setor de Tecnologia, Jardim das Américas, CP: 19011, Curitiba 81531‐990, PR, Brazil;4. Department of Chemical Engineering, Queen's University, Dupuis Hall, 19 Division Street, Kingston, ON K7L 3N6, Canada;5. Planta Piloto de Ingeniería Química, PLAPIQUI (UNS–CONICET), Camino La Carrindanga Km 7, 8000 Bahía Blanca, Argentina |
| Abstract: | This is the first of a series of works aiming at developing a tool for designing “living” free radical polymerization processes in tubular reactors, in order to achieve tailor‐made MWDs. A mathematical model of the nitroxide‐mediated controlled free radical polymerization is built and implemented to predict the complete MWD. It is shown that this objective may be achieved accurately and efficiently by means of the probability generating function (pgf) transformation. Comparison with experimental data is good. The potential of the resulting model for optimization activities involving the complete MWD is also shown.  |
| Keywords: | free radical living polymerization molecular weight distribution modeling probability generating functions |