Chain polymerization mechanisms

Chain Polymerization The growth process of a polymer postulates a three-step mechanism ... 

In contrast to ionic chain polymerizations, free radical polymerizations offer a facile route to copolymers ([9] p. 459). The ability of monomers to undergo copolymerization is described by the reactivity ratios, which have been tabulated for many monomer systems for a tabulation of reactivity ratios, see Section 11/154 in Brandrup and Immergut [14]. These tabulations must be used with care, however, as reactivity ratios are not always calculated in an optimum manner [15]. Systems in which one reactivity ratio is much greater than one (1) and the other is much less than one indicate poor copolymerization. Such systems form a mixture of homopolymers rather than a copolymer. Uncontrolled phase separation may take place, and mechanical properties can suffer. An important ramification of the ease of forming copolymers will be discussed in Section 3.1. 

Instinctively it would seem that Step C would be rate controlling and the slowest. In the case of the Fischer-Tropsch reaction, one would postulate that the surface would offer more methylene groups for chain polymerization. This mechanism differs from that of Vlasenko and Uzefo-vich (4) essentially in the concept that the whole molecule interacts with the surface. Furthermore, the HCOH intermediate is wholly horizontal to the surface rather than perpendicular. 

Step-growth polymerizations have widely been developed in industrial applications whereas knowledge of their mechanisms and of their kinetics has remained far below that of chain polymerization reactions. 

At this point it is appropriate to discuss the mechanism for ADMET, because ADMET polymerization is more involved than its chain polymerization counterpart— ROMP. Figure 8.6 illustrates the accepted mechanistic pathway which leads to productive metathesis polymerization, as first described by Wagener et al.14a A general model reaction between an a,o>-diene with a metal alkylidene... 

Using the first-principles molecular-dynamics simulation, Munejiri, Shimojo and Hoshino studied the structure of liquid sulfur at 400 K, below the polymerization temperature [79]. They found that some of the Ss ring molecules homolytically open up on excitation of one electron from the HOMO to the LUMO. The chain-like diradicals S " thus generated partly recombine intramolecularly with formation of a branched Sy=S species rather than cyclo-Ss- Furthermore, the authors showed that photo-induced polymerization occurs in liquid sulfur when the Ss chains or Sy=S species are close to each other at their end. The mechanism of polymerization of sulfur remains a challenging problem for further theoretical work. 

Alongside the radical distinction of the mechanism of this process from that of chain polymerization, linear polycondensation features a number of specific peculiarities. So, for instance, the theory of copolycondensation does not deal with the problem of the calculation of a copolymer composition which normally coincides with the initial monomer mixture composition. Conversely, unlike chain polymerization, of particular importance for the products of polycondensation processes with the participation of asymmetric monomers is structural isomerism, so that the fractions of the head-to-head and head-to-tail patterns of ar-... 

Chain growth polymers, which are often referred to as addition polymers, form via chain addition reactions. Figure 2.2 presents a generic chain addition mechanism. Chain addition occurs when the active site of a monomer or polymer chain reacts with an adjacent monomer molecule, which is added to the end of the chain and generates a new active site. The active site is the reactive end of a monomer or polymer that participates in the polymerization reaction. 

A series of bis(phenoxide) aluminum alkoxides have also been reported as lactone ROP initiators. Complexes (264)-(266) all initiate the well-controlled ROP of CL, NVL.806,807 and L-LA.808 Block copolymers have been prepared by sequential monomer addition, and resumption experiments (addition of a second aliquot of monomer to a living chain) support a living mechanism. The polymerizations are characterized by narrow polydispersities (1.20) and molecular weights close to calculated values. However, other researchers using closely related (267) have reported Mw/Mn values of 1.50 and proposed that an equilibrium between dimeric and monomeric initiator molecules was responsible for an efficiency of 0.36.809 In addition, the polymerization of LA using (268) only achieved a conversion of 15% after 5 days at 80 °C (Mn = 21,070, Mn calc 2,010, Mw/Mn = 1.46).810... 

The stereoselectivity mechanisms for polymerizations of dienes present several peculiar aspects mainly related to the nature of the bond between the transition metal of the catalytic system and the growing chain, which is of allylic type rather than of o type, as for the monoalkene polymerizations. There is experimental evidence, also supported by molecular modeling studies, that a relevant role for chemoselectivity and stereoselectivity is also played by the chirality of the back-biting coordination to the metal of the double bond of the polydienyl chain closest to the coordinated allyl group. 

It appeared to us that the only reasonable non-ionic reaction product of an acid and an olefin would be an ester, and for this reason we put forward the idea that this is the active species in the pseudo-cationic polymerizations. Of course, the idea of an ester in this role has a respectable ancestry which has been discussed in this new context [6]. The ester mechanism of polymerization will be discussed in sub-section 3.3. It must be understood that our conclusion concerning the non-ionic nature of the chain-carriers in the pseudocationic polymerizations is quite independent of our view that the chain-carriers are esters this is at present merely an hypothesis to explain our factual conclusion. 

Tetramethylpiperidine-l-oxy (TEMPO)-containing alkoxyamine derivatives are widely used as unimolecular initiators for living radical polymerization [5], The key step of the presently accepted mechanism of polymerization is the reversible capping of the polymer chain by the nitroxide radical. In 2002, Otsuka and Takahara applied the reversible... 

It appears that networks formed from dimethacrylates are not uniformly crosslinked, as was often assumed in pioneering studies (9 10). Instead they have some resemblance to the "porridge" microstructure first attributed by Houwink to Bakellte ( ) and subsequently adopted to account for mlcrostructural observations on other networks prepared by stepwise polymerization reactions ( ) As far as is known, microgel particles have not been observed in networks formed by chain polymerization reactions. However, it seems necessary to invoke their formation in order to account for turbidimetric observations ( ), the onset of gelation, and gel partition Q9). In the present work a case has been made for invoking something like a "porridge" microstructure in order to account for some mechanical properties. 

In addition to the structural and compositional differences between polymers, Flory [1953] stressed the very significant difference in the mechanism by which polymer molecules are built up. Although Flory continued to use the terms condensation and addition in his discussions of polymerization mechanism, the more recent terminology classifies polymerizations into step and chain polymerizations. 

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