RADICAL POLYMERIZATION OF STYRENE INITIATED BY BENZOPINACOLATES - KINETICS AND COMMENTS CONCERNING THE REACTION-MECHANISM

Citation
Rg. Santos et al., RADICAL POLYMERIZATION OF STYRENE INITIATED BY BENZOPINACOLATES - KINETICS AND COMMENTS CONCERNING THE REACTION-MECHANISM, European Polymer Journal, 30(7), 1994, pp. 851-861
Citations number
16
Categorie Soggetti
Polymer Sciences
Journal title
ISSN journal
00143057
Volume
30
Issue
7
Year of publication
1994
Pages
851 - 861
Database
ISI
SICI code
0014-3057(1994)30:7<851:RPOSIB>2.0.ZU;2-4
Abstract
The present paper reports an investigation on the ''pseudo-living'' ra dical chain propagation process in the case of the styrene polymerizat ion initiated by benzopinacolates. Two steps were observed, as in earl ier reported investigations. Oligomers were formed first at low monome r conversions, due to the rapid chain-termination by the primary radic als present at a high concentration. Polymerization takes place only a fter consumption of the major part of these radicals. Experiments carr ied out on model molecules representative of the oligomer chain-ends y ielded evidence that these species are unactive, they do not undergo f urther thermal cleavage. The in the literature reported insertion proc ess was not confirmed for the styrene polymerization.