Copolymer heterogeneity

In the absence of an azeotrope, and when one monomer is more reactive than the other in a binary batch copolymerization (e.g., rj > 1 and T2 < 1), the instantaneous copolymer composition will decrease in monomer A with increase in conversion. The extent of composition drift, which leads to a copolymer heterogeneous in composition, depends on the ratio of reactivity ratios ri/r2 (increasing with any increase in ri/ra), the initial monomer composition and the monomer conversion. A copolymer which is heterogeneous in composition usually has inferior properties, therefore industrial processes have been developed to reduce composition heterogeneity. These processes are usually semibatch, but sometimes continuous as well. 

In copolymers, heterogeneity of environment of a chromophore by virtue of composition becomes of overriding concern. 

Heterogeneous alloys can be formed when graft or block copolymers are combined with a compatible polymer. Alloys of incompatible polymers can be formed if an interfacial agent can be found. 

Eree-radical initiation of emulsion copolymers produces a random polymerisation in which the trans/cis ratio caimot be controlled. The nature of ESBR free-radical polymerisation results in the polymer being heterogeneous, with a broad molecular weight distribution and random copolymer composition. The microstmcture is not amenable to manipulation, although the temperature of the polymerisation affects the ratio of trans to cis somewhat. 

Because graft copolymers are much "easier" to obtain synthetically than heterogeneous diblock or triblock copolymers, they have also been used as compatibiUzers ia polymer blends. Theoretically, they are not as efficient as the diblocks (60), but they are successhilly and economically used ia a number of commercial systems (61). 

There is increasing interest in copolymer systems, which, due to their chemical heterogeneity, may require very complex eluent systems in order to dissolve the sample and ensure that the separation ensues hy a pure size exclusion mechanism. In these examples, the PLgel is also compatible with eluent systems containing mixed solvents of different polarity (including water as a cosolvent up to 10% hy volume) and in organic solvents modified with acids or bases (e.g., acetic or formic acid, triethanolamine) as it is stable in the pH range of 1-14. 

Heterogeneous copolymerization of acrylamide causes redistribution comonomers between phases I and II. This leads to a change of copolymer composition in phases I and II. As a result, the values of ri and change. This accounts for anomalous widening of the experimental composition distribution curves as compared with theoretical curves. 

Polystyrene (PS) is the fourth big-volume thermoplastic. Styrene can be polymerized alone or copolymerized with other monomers. It can be polymerized by free radical initiators or using coordination catalysts. Recent work using group 4 metallocene combined with methylalumi-noxane produce stereoregular polymer. When homogeneous titanium catalyst is used, the polymer was predominantly syndiotactic. The heterogeneous titanium catalyst gave predominantly the isotactic. Copolymers with butadiene in a ratio of approximately 1 3 produces SBR, the most important synthetic rubber. 

The existence of an azeotropic composition has some practical significance. By conducting a polymerization with the monomer feed ratio equal to the azeotropic composition, a high conversion batch copolymer can be prepared that has no compositional heterogeneity caused by drift in copolymer composition with conversion. Thus, the complex incremental addition protocols that arc otherwise required to achieve this end, are unnecessary. Composition equations and conditions for azeotropic compositions in ternary and quaternary eopolymerizations have also been defined.211,21... 

The copolymer composition equation only provides the average composition. Not all chains have the same composition. There is a statistical distribution of monomers determined by the reactivity ratios. When chains are short, compositional heterogeneity can mean that not all chains will contain all monomers. 

Chain compositional heterogeneity is of particular relevance to functional copolymers which find widespread use in the coalings and adhesives industries.13,240,246 In these applications, the functional copolymer and a crosslinking agent are applied together and are cured to form a network polymer. The functional copolymers are based on functional monomers with reactive groups (e.g. OH), it is desirable that all copolymer molecules have a functionality of at least two. Nonfunctional polymer will not be incorporated and could plasticize the network or be exuded from the polymer. Monofunctional polymers are not involved in crosslink formation and will produce dangling ends. 

The influence of selectivity in the initiation, termination or chain transfer steps on the distribution of monomer units within the copolymer chain is usually neglected. Galbraith et a .u provided the first detailed analysis of these factors. They applied Monte Carlo simulation to examine the influence of the initiation and termination steps on the compositional heterogeneity and molecular weight distribution of binary and ternary copolymers. Spurting et a/.250 extended this... 

This polymeric oxocarbenium salt readily initiates the cationic ring opening polymerization of oxolane to produce a polystyrene-polyTHF block copolymer. Molecular weight control is provided, polydispersity is narrow and compositional heterogeneity is small59). 

The synthesis of well defined block copolymers exhibiting controlled molecular weight, low compositional heterogeneity and narrow molecular weight distribution is a major success of anionic polymerization techniques 6,7,14-111,112,113). Blocks of unlike chemical nature have a general tendency to undergo microphase separation, thereby producing mesomorphic phases. Block copolymers therefore exhibit unique properties, that prompted numerous studies and applications (e.g. thermoplastic elastomers). 

Since it involves two incompatible polymers, the mixture is heterogeneous at the beginning, but as block copolymer is formed, it progressively becomes homogeneous. It is remarkable that the reaction is quite fast although it takes place at the interface. 

The heterogeneous copolymerization of styrene and acrylonitrile in various diluents as reported by Riess and Desvalois (22). Although the copolymer composition in these studies was not strongly influenced by the diluent choice, the preferential adsorption of acrylonitrile monomer onto the polymer particles shifted the azeotropic copolymerization point from the 38 mole % acrylonitrile observed in solution to 55 mole % acrylonitrile. 

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