Butyl acrylate, dilute solution polymerization

The kinetics of dilute solution polymerization of butyl acrylate were studied by Melville and Bickel (15). They measured the propagation and termination coefficients at 25 c kp 13(i/mole sec) and kt 1.8 x 10 ( /mole sec). Melville and Bickel also concluded that the termination reaction at 25 C occurred mostly throu combination, thus theoretically increasing the probability to produce a carboxyl terminated PnBA with an ideal ftuiction-allty of f=2 when the polymerization reaction is initiated with ABCVA. 

The study of the toughening of DGEBA resin with a new RLP, Carboxyl Terminated n-Poly Butyl Acrylate (CTPnBA), is reported here. The CTPnBA rubber was synthesized by dilute solution polymerization and bulk polymerization techniques (20,21). The carboxyl functionality of the polymers varied from f = 1.3 (in solution polymerization) to f = 1.8-2.0 (in bulk polymerization). 

Polymerization of CTPnBA in dilute solution. The solution polymerization of N-butyl acrylate is better predicted and simpler to control. The effect of the molecular weight on the miscibility of CTPnBA in Epon 828 was studied with a series of polymers polymerized in dilute t-butanol solutions. Table I. As expected. Increasing both dilution of the monomer and the polymerization temperature resulted in decreasing molecular weight of CTPnBA. 

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