Recent Advances in Automatic Continuous Online Monitoring of Polymerization Reactions (ACOMP)

ACOMP allows comprehensive, model-independent, near realtime monitoring of many different types of polymerization reactions. It provides conversion kinetics, and the evolution of average molar mass, intrinsic viscosity and average composition distributions (for copolymers). Here, recent advances in ACOMP will be summarized, dealing with continuous reactors, copolymerization, ‘living’ type reactions (NMP, RAFT, ATRP, ROMP), polyelectrolytes, heterogeneous phase reactions, including free radical reactions in emulsions, and predictive control. In the case of emulsion polymerization, a new approach will be presented in which the evolution of the characteristics of both the soluble phase – monomer conversion, polymer molar mass and intrinsic viscosity- and the dispersed phase – particle size – are simultaneously monitored. NSF CBET 0623531, BoR ITRS 019B, NASA NCC3-946, TIMES, PolyRMC (Tulane Center for Polymer Reaction Monitoring and Characterization).