Radical Homo- and Copolymerization of Acrylamide and Ionic Monomers in Weak Magnetic Field

Summary: The synergy between magnetic field (MF) and electrostatic interactions on the kinetics of radical homopolymerization of acrylamide (AM), acrylic acid (AA), its ionized form acrylate (A⁻) and diallyldimethylammonium chloride (DADMAC), as well as AM/AA, AM/A⁻, DADMAC/AA, and DADMAC/AM copolymerizations was investigated. The application of MF during the polymerizations significantly increased the monomer consumption rate (Rp) of all monomers in homo and copolymerizations and the molar masses of polyAA and polyNaA. The molar mass of polyAM and the copolymer composition of any monomer combination remained unchanged by MF. The electrostatic interactions between ionic monomers and growing radicals dominate for the monomers and conditions studied here.