| Abstract: | The effect and the participation of the furfuryl ring, in particular the hydrogen at position C-5 in the free radical polymerization are analyzed following the polymerization of furfuryl acrylate (FA) and furfuryl methacrylate (FM) initiated by AIBN under photochemical activation. The results obtained indicate that the polymerization of FA deviates from the classical free radical kinetic scheme, giving rise to crosslinked polymers even at a degree of conversion lower than 7%. This behavior is well explained taking into consideration the participation of the furfuryl ring which acts as a degradative transfer agent. This was demonstrated by the kinetic analysis of the free radical polymerization of MMA initiated by the thermal decomposition of AIBN in the presence of different concentrations of furfuryl acetate. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. |
