𝔖 Bobbio Scriptorium
✦   LIBER   ✦

Difference in propagation rate constants between photo-and thermal-initiated polymerization of styrene – effects of light irradiation

✍ Scribed by Mikiharu Kamachi; Atsushi Kajiwara


Publisher
John Wiley and Sons
Year
1997
Tongue
English
Weight
404 KB
Volume
198
Category
Article
ISSN
1022-1352

No coin nor oath required. For personal study only.

✦ Synopsis


Abstract

Propagation rate constants (k~p~) for photo‐ and thermal‐initiated radical polymerizations of styrene were determined by electron spin resonance (ESR) spectroscopy. The k~p~ value for the former at 70°C ((420 ± 30) M^−1^ · S^−1^) was more than twice as large as that for the latter ((190 ± 10) M^−1^ · s^−1^) although the former value was almost the same as that obtained with the pulsed‐laser polymerization method. To evaluate the origin of the difference in the k~p~ values between photo‐ and thermal‐initiated polymerization the absorption spectrum of a model of the propagating radical was measured and both the influence of the wavelength of the irradiation light on k~p~ values and the activation energy of the photo‐initiated radical polymerization of styrene were determined. k~p~ decreases for wave‐lengths shorter than 370 nm and is in agreement with the k~p~ value for thermal‐initiated polymerization. No wavelength dependence of k~p~ was obtained for dienes whose propagating radical does not absorb above 300 nm. The difference in k~p~ values for photo‐ and thermal‐initiated polymerizations is considered to be due to the photoactivation (photoinduced excitation) of the propagating radical of styrene.