A Critical Investigation on the Occurrence of Microwave Effects in Emulsion Polymerizations

The existence of special microwave effects in the emulsion polymerization of styrene and methyl methacrylate with two different initiators is investigated. All the experiments are conducted in either Pyrex or silicon carbide reaction vessels employing a dedicated single‐mode microwave reactor and are monitored with a dual temperature‐measurement system consisting of an external infrared sensor and an internal fiber optical probe. The goal of this study is to study the influence of the electromagnetic field on both the decomposition rate of the radical initiators and on the emulsion polymerization itself. For both types of transformation, no direct influence of the electromagnetic field can be observed, therefore ruling out the occurrence of any type of specific or nonthermal microwave effects in these reactions.