Chain copolymerization step polymerization

It is highly unlikely that the reactivities of the various monomers would be such as to yield either block or alternating copolymes. The quantitative dependence of copolymer composition on monomer reactivities has been described [Korshak et al., 1976 Mackey et al., 1978 Russell et al., 1981]. The treatment is the same as that described in Chap. 6 for chain copolymerization (Secs. 6-2 and 6-5). The overall composition of the copolymer obtained in a step polymerization will almost always be the same as the composition of the monomer mixture since these reactions are carried out to essentially 100% conversion (a necessity for obtaining high-molecular-weight polymer). Further, for step copolymerizations of monomer mixtures such as in Eq. 2-192 one often observes the formation of random copolymers. This occurs either because there are no differences in the reactivities of the various monomers or the polymerization proceeds under reaction conditions where there is extensive interchange (Sec. 2-7c). The use of only one diacid or one diamine would produce a variation on the copolymer structure with either R = R" or R = R " [Jackson and Morris, 1988]. 

For most step polymerizations, for example, in the synthesis of polyl hexamethylene adipa-mide) or polyethylene terephthalate), two reactants or monomers are used in the process, and the polymer obtained contains two different kinds of structures in the chain. This is not the case for chain polymerizations, where only one monomer need be used to produce a polymer. However, chain polymerizations can be carried out with mixtures of two monomers to form polymeric products wiht two different structures in the polymer chain. This type of chain polymerization process in which two monomers are simultaneously polymerized is termed a copolymerization, and the product is a copolymer. It is important to stress that the copolymer is not an alloy of two homopolymers hut contains units of both monomers incorporated into each copolymer molecule. The process can be depicted as... 

Copolymerization is also important in step polymerization. Relatively few studies on step copolymerization have been carried out, although there are considerable commercial applications. Unlike the situation in chain copolymerization, the overall composition of the copolymer obtained in a step copolymerization is usually the same as the feed composition since step reactions must be carried out to close to 100% conversion for the synthesis of... 

In contrast, in anionic systems in which the solvent may not actually interrupt the propagation process, it may play an active role in controlling both the rate and mode of the chain growth step. This control is perhaps most dramatically illustrated in the case of the organolithium polymerizations in connection with two specific aspects chain microstructure of polydienes and copolymerization of dienes and styrene. 

So far, our discussion has been restricted to chain block and graft copolymerization. This is largely because the practical utility of copolymerization is more elaborate in chain polymerization than step polymerization. Also, in step copolymerization, block copolymers are generally preferred to the other types of copolymers. Therefore only block step-polymerization copolymers are discussed here and only in a very limited scope to illustrate the principles involved in their preparation. 

The scheme shows above and below the two propagation steps that would take place in polymerization of Mi and Mj separately. On the sides, left and right, are the chain transfer steps that establish coupling between the chains in copolymerization. Rate constants kij are indicated, referring to addition of monomer M, to a growing chain M<, i.e., one which has last added a monomer unit Mi. 

The process or chemical reaction in which the molecules of a monomer are linked together to form macromolecules whose molecular weight is a multiple of that of the original substance nM [M] , where n is a degree of polymerization, DP. It is said that the polymerization leads to oligomer if 10 < DP < 50 and to polymer if DP > 50. When two or more monomers are involved, the process is called copolymerization. Most polymerization processes are classified as condensation (step) reactions or addition (chain) reactions. 

As for step copolymerization, differences in monomer reactivity in chain copolymerization affect the sequence distribution of the different repeat units in the copolymer molecules formed. The most reactive monomer again is incorporated preferentially into the copolymer chains but, because of the different nature of chain polymerization, high molar mass copolymer molecules are formed early in the reaction. Thus, at low overall conversions of the comonomers, the high molar mass copolymer molecules formed can have compositions which differ significantly from the composition of the initial comonomer mixture. Also in contrast to step copolymerization, theoretical prediction of the relative rates at which the different monomers add to a growing chain is more firmly established. In the next section a general theoretical treatment of chain copolymerization of two monomers is presented and introduces an approach which can be applied to derive equations for more complex chain copolymerizations involving three or more monomers. 

Alternatively, the second step is achieved by anionic block copolymerization the carbonionic living sites at both ends of the precursor chains initiate the polymerization of a smalt amount of a bifunctional monomer (generally divinylbenzene). This polymerization yields small, tightly crosslinked nodules, each of which being connected with f chain ends. This method does not yield networks of known average functionality f. 

An example of a commercial semibatch polymerization process is the early Union Carbide process for Dynel, one of the first flame-retardant modacryhc fibers (23,24). Dynel, a staple fiber that was wet spun from acetone, was introduced in 1951. The polymer is made up of 40% acrylonitrile and 60% vinyl chloride. The reactivity ratios for this monomer pair are 3.7 and 0.074 for acrylonitrile and vinyl chloride in solution at 60°C. Thus acrylonitrile is much more reactive than vinyl chloride in this copolymerization. In addition, vinyl chloride is a strong chain-transfer agent. To make the Dynel composition of 60% vinyl chloride, the monomer composition must be maintained at 82% vinyl chloride. Since acrylonitrile is consumed much more rapidly than vinyl chloride, if no control is exercised over the monomer composition, the acrylonitrile content of the monomer decreases to approximately 1% after only 25% conversion. The low acrylonitrile content of the monomer required for this process introduces yet another problem. That is, with an acrylonitrile weight fraction of only 0.18 in the unreacted monomer mixture, the low concentration of acrylonitrile becomes a rate-limiting reaction step. Therefore, the overall rate of chain growth is low and under normal conditions, with chain transfer and radical recombination, the molecular weight of the polymer is very low. 

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