EXPERIMENTAL AND MODELING STUDIES ON STYRENE BUTYL METHACRYLATE COPOLYMERIZATION REACTION

Radical-induced copolymerization of styrene and butyl methacrylate was studied. The effects of the initiator (benzoyl peroxide) concentratio n, reaction temperature, and poly(vinyl alcohol) amount on the rate of reaction and final product quality are also measured. Kinetics studie s and optical microscopy of the reaction mixture indicate that the rea ction exhibits autoacceleration behavior, which could be suppressed by reducing the reaction temperature. H-1-NMR of the intermediate and fi nal product samples reveals the monomer sequencing. The monomer reacti vity ratios at various temperatures are estimated from the experimenta l data. The reaction is mathematically modeled by a Monte-Carlo simula tion, and the results of this analysis are compared with observed data . (C) 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.