| Abstract: | The polymerization of N-vinylcarbazole has been carried out at 60°C under nitrogen with different grades of carbon black, N220, N110, N330, and N660 as heterogeneous catalysts. The order of efficiency of the catalysts in regard to the polymerization is: N220 > N110 > N660 > N330. Effect of solvent polarity on the polymerization has been studied with acetonitrile, 1,2-dichloroethane, and toluene-nitrobenzene mixtures. Nitrobenzene, with highest polarity, affords the highest rate, which decreases with decreasing nitrobenzene percentage in the solvent mixture. These features suggest the polymerization to be cationic in nature. The relative viscosities of the polymers are low, but tend to increase only slightly with increasing nitrobenzene content. The rate of polymerization can be expressed by the relation  A suitable kinetic model has been presented in conformity with the experimental findings. |
