Chain copolymerization bootstrap effect

Based upon the above studies, it may be concluded that there is strong evidence to suggest that Bootstrap effects arising from preferential solvation of the polymer chain operate in many copolymerization systems, although the effect is by no means general and is not likely to be significant in systems such as STY-MMA. However, this does not necessarily discount a Bootstrap effect in such systems. As noted above, a Bootstrap effect may arise from a number of different phenomena, of which preferential solvation is but one example. Other causes of a Bootstrap effect include preferential solvation of die chain end, rather than the entire polymer chain, or the formation of non-reactive radical-solvent or monomer-solvent complexes. In fact, the Bootstrap model has been successfully adopted in systems, such as solution copolymerization of STY-MMA, for which bulk preferential solvation of the polymer chain is unlikely. For instance, both Davis and Klumperman and O Driscoll adopted die terminal Bootstrap model in a reanalysis of die microstructure data of San Roman et al. for the effects of benzene, chlorobenzene and benzonitrile on the copolymerization of MMA-STY. 

It was reported by Barb in 1953 that solvents can affect the rates of copolymerization and the composition of the copolymer in copolymerizations of styrene with maleic anhydride [145]. Later, Klumperman also observed similar solvent effects [145]. This was reviewed by Coote and coworkers [145]. A number of complexation models were proposed to describe copolymerizations of styrene and maleic anhydride and styrene with acrylonitrile. There were explanations offered for deviation from the terminal model that assumes that radical reactivity only depends on the terminal unit of the growing chain. Thus, Harwood proposed the bootstrap model based upon the study of styrene copolymerized with MAA, acrylic acid, and acrylamide [146]. It was hypothesized that solvent does not modify the inherent reactivity of the growing radical, but affects the monomer partitioning such that the concentrations of the two monomers at the reactive site (and thus their ratio) differ from that in bulk. 

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