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Snowballing Radical Generation Leads to Ultrahigh Molecular Weight Polymers
Author(s) -
Laurino Paola,
Hernandez Hugo F.,
Bräuer Judith,
Krüger Kathleen,
Grützmacher Hansjörg,
Tauer Klaus,
Seeberger Peter H.
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
macromolecular rapid communications
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.348
H-Index - 154
eISSN - 1521-3927
pISSN - 1022-1336
DOI - 10.1002/marc.201200384
Subject(s) - photoinitiator , emulsion polymerization , radical polymerization , polymer , polymerization , polymer chemistry , monomer , styrene , materials science , photopolymer , photochemistry , cobalt mediated radical polymerization , chemistry , copolymer , composite material
Styrene is the classical monomer obeying zero‐one kinetics in radical emulsion polymerization. Accordingly, particles that are less than 100 nm in diameter contain either one or no growing radical(s). We describe a unique photoinitiated polymerization reaction accelerated by snowballing radical generation in a continuous flow reactor. Even in comparison to classical emulsion polymerization, these unprecedented snowballing reactions are rapid and high‐yielding, with each particle simultaneously containing more than one growing radical. This is a consequence of photoinitiator incorporation into the nascent polymer backbone and repeated radical generation upon photo‐irradiation.