| Abstract: | Radiation-induced bulk polymerization of vinyl chloride has been carried out under centrifugation at 21°C. The polymerization rate and the molecular weight of the polymer produced were found to remain constant in the low-conversion region and to be equal to the corresponding values that were obtained by extrapolation at zero conversion in normal polymerization. This was at variance with the case of normal polymerization in which both quantities exhibit a continuous increase from the start of the polymerization. Such an increase is to be associated with the presence of large agglomerates, formed through flocculation of initially originated particles, in the liquid monomer phase during the polymerization under quiescent conditions. For the constancy of the kinetic parameters in the polymerization under centrifugation it should be assumed that in the system there remain dispersed only particles not yet flocculated. |
