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Dispersion Photopolymerization of Acrylated Oligomers Using a Flexible Continuous Reactor
Author(s) -
Roose Patrice,
Berlier Michel,
Lazzaroni Roberto,
Leclère Philippe
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
macromolecular reaction engineering
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.37
H-Index - 32
eISSN - 1862-8338
pISSN - 1862-832X
DOI - 10.1002/mren.201500078
Subject(s) - photopolymer , polymerization , materials science , dispersion (optics) , photoinitiator , ultraviolet , acrylate , dynamic light scattering , particle (ecology) , ultraviolet light , dispersion polymerization , aqueous solution , chemical engineering , composite material , polymer chemistry , optics , polymer , chemistry , nanotechnology , optoelectronics , nanoparticle , copolymer , organic chemistry , monomer , physics , engineering , oceanography , geology
The photopolymerization of acrylated oligomers dispersed in an aqueous medium is successfully demonstrated using a simple continuous photoreactor designed with flexible tubing, which presents straightforward up‐scaling and maintenance features. The performance of the continuous photoreactor is assessed by varying the length of the tube exposed to ultraviolet light as well as the flow rate of the aqueous dispersion thr ough the reactor. The insoluble nature of the dispersed particles after in‐situ photo‐crosslinking is particularly suitable for the estimation of the actual number of polymerized particles from static and dynamic light scattering data. The procedure is discussed in detail. Along with the overall acrylate double bond conversion of the particles determined by infrared spectroscopy, an estimation of the average conversion per polymerized particle is provided as a function of the exposure time to ultraviolet light. The sub‐microscopic characterization by peak‐force tapping atomic force microscopy of the particles after photopolymerization is also presented.