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Kinetics of MMA Atom Transfer Radical Polymerization Initiated by Reducing Agent in Stirred Batch Emulsion Reactor
Author(s) -
Awad Mohammed,
Dhib Ramdhane,
Duever Thomas
Publication year - 2021
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.202000052
Subject(s) - emulsion polymerization , polymerization , dispersity , polymer chemistry , gel permeation chromatography , atom transfer radical polymerization , radical polymerization , chain transfer , methyl methacrylate , molar mass distribution , polymer , materials science , chemical engineering , monomer , chemistry , organic chemistry , engineering
Ab initio emulsion atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) differs from regular emulsion polymerization because the kinetic and thermodynamic aspects of each process are very unlikely alike. This paper presents a kinetic analysis of activator generated by electron transfer (AGET) ATRP of methyl methacrylate (MMA) in a stirred emulsion reactor. The focus of the study is to assess the variation of the monomer content in the organic phase and the rate polymerization for different reaction temperatures, as well as the impact of surfactant content and stirring speed on latex stability. Poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) polymer samples are analyzed by means of gravimetry, dynamic light scattering, gel permeation chromatography, and HNMR techniques to determine monomer conversion, polymer particle diameter, molecular weight distribution, and polymer molecular structure, respectively. The results show the production of PMMA of narrow polydispersity index ( Ð ) and low molar mass ( M n ) for MMA conversion around 60% and detect two‐regions instead of a three‐regions trend of rate of polymerization ( R p ) as conventional emulsion polymerization. The reaction rate increases during the nucleation stage and then flattens over an invariant trend which confirms a living feature of the AGET ATRP polymerization. The average number of radicals per latex particle ( ñ ) is also debated.