Free‐Radical Polymerization with Long‐Chain Branching and Scission in a Continuous Stirred‐Tank Reactor
Authors:
Hidetaka Tobita
Affiliation:
Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Fukui, 3‐9‐1 Bunkyo, Fukui 910‐8507, Japan
Abstract:
Free‐radical polymerization that involves the polymer transfer reactions leading to both long‐chain branching and scission, as in the cases of high‐pressure olefin polymerization, is considered. In CSTR, the residence time distribution is broad and the primary polymer chain, whose residence time is large, is subjected to polymer transfer reaction for a longer time, leading to a larger number of branching and scission points. The distributions of both branching and scission density are much broader in a CSTR than in a batch, or equivalently, a PFR. The radius of gyration for larger sized polymers formed in a CSTR tends to be much smaller than that for randomly branched polymers.
