Polymer processing free radical reactions

During the polymeriza tion process the normal head-to-tad free-radical reaction of vinyl chloride deviates from the normal path and results in sites of lower chemical stabiUty or defect sites along some of the polymer chains. These defect sites are small in number and are formed by autoxidation, chain termination, or chain-branching reactions. Heat stabilizer technology has grown from efforts to either chemically prevent or repair these defect sites. Partial stmctures (3—6) are typical of the defect sites found in PVC homopolymers (2—5). 

Styrene is a colorless Hquid with an aromatic odor. Important physical properties of styrene are shown in Table 1 (1). Styrene is infinitely soluble in acetone, carbon tetrachloride, benzene, ether, / -heptane, and ethanol. Nearly all of the commercial styrene is consumed in polymerization and copolymerization processes. Common methods in plastics technology such as mass, suspension, solution, and emulsion polymerization can be used to manufacture polystyrene and styrene copolymers with different physical characteristics, but processes relating to the first two methods account for most of the styrene polymers currendy (ca 1996) being manufactured (2—8). Polymerization generally takes place by free-radical reactions initiated thermally or catalyticaHy. Polymerization occurs slowly even at ambient temperatures. It can be retarded by inhibitors. 

Radiolytic ethylene destruction occurs with a yield of ca. 20 molecules consumed/100 e.v. (36, 48). Products containing up to six carbons account for ca. 60% of that amount, and can be ascribed to free radical reactions, molecular detachments, and low order ion-molecule reactions (32). This leaves only eight molecules/100 e.v. which may have formed ethylene polymer, corresponding to a chain length of only 2.1 molecules/ ion. Even if we assumed that ethylene destruction were entirely the result of ionic polymerization, only about five ethylene molecules would be involved per ion pair. The absence of ionic polymerization can also be demonstrated by the results of the gamma ray initiated polymerization of ethylene, whose kinetics can be completely explained on the basis of conventional free radical reactions and known rate constants for these processes (32). An increase above the expected rates occurs only at pressures in excess of ca. 20 atmospheres (10). The virtual absence of ionic polymerization can be regarded as one of the most surprising aspects of the radiation chemistry of ethylene. 

MECHANISMS OF SECONDARY REACTIONS. The primary processes involved in absorption of radiation in polymers lead to the expectation of free radical and ionic mechanisms for the secondary chemical reactions. Electron spin resonance (ESR) spectroscopy has proved extremely valuable for observation of free radical reactions in polymers, where various radicals are stabilized in the solid matrix at different temperatures. 

The EE and phE mechanisms for neat polymers proposed by ourselves and others all involve the consequences of breaking bonds during fracture. Zakresvskii et al. (24) have attributed EE from the deformation of polymers to free radical formation, arising from bond scission. We (1) as well as Bondareva et al. (251 hypothesized that the EE produced by the electron bombardment of polymers is due to the formation of reactive species (e.g., free radicals) which recombine and eject a nearby trapped electron, via a non-radiative process. In addition, during the most intense part of the emissions (during fracture), there are likely shorter-lived excitations (e.g., excitons) which decay in a first order fashion with submicrosecond lifetimes. The detailed mechanisms of how bond scissions create these various states during fracture and the physics of subsequent reaction-induced electron ejection need additional insight. 

As a consequence of the fact that free-radical reactions are chain processes, they are very well suited for the preparation of polymers rather than single products. That is, products are obtained whose size is determined by the number of propagation cycles that occur before a termination event stops the growing chain. 

The addition of thiols to olefins (thiolene reaction), to form thioethers, is a well-known reaction. The process can occur by either free-radical or ionic mechanisms. The free-radical reaction can be initiated thermally via a peroxide or by UV irradiation with benzophenone. The initiation step involves the formation of a thiyl radical by hydrogen atom abstraction. Both of these species are capable of starting polymer chains (Table 2.30). 

Photochemical and photophysical processes in cellulose and related compounds have received considerable attention during the last decades, resulting in research work concerned with the improvement of cellulosic materials via physical and chemical modifications. One method was to apply a copolymer between the cellulose and a synthetic polymer which are generally grafted by free radical reactions. 

The features of initiation of free radical reactions in polymers by dimers of nitrogen dioxide are considered. The conversion of planar dimers into nitrosyl nitrate in the presence of amide groups of macromolecules has been revealed. Nitrosyl nitrate initiates radical reactions in oxidative primary process of electron transfer with formation of intermediate radical cations and nitric oxide. As a result of subsequent reactions, nitrogen-containing radicals are produced. The dimer conversion has been exhibited by estimation of the oxyaminoxyl radical yield in characteristic reaction of p-benzoquinone with nitrogen dioxide on addition of aromatic polyamide and polyvinylpyrrolidone to reacting system. The isomerisation of planar dimers is efficient in their complexes with amide groups, as confirmed by ab initio calculations. 

Specihcally with regard to the pyrolysis of plastics, new patents have been filed recently containing variable degrees of process description and equipment detail. For example, a process is described for the microwave pyrolysis of polymers to their constituent monomers with particular emphasis on the decomposition of poly (methylmethacrylate) (PMMA). A comprehensive list is presented of possible microwave-absorbents, including carbon black, silicon carbide, ferrites, barium titanate and sodium oxide. Furthermore, detailed descriptions of apparatus to perform the process at different scales are presented [120]. Similarly, Patent US 6,184,427 presents a process for the microwave cracking of plastics with detailed descriptions of equipment. However, as with some earlier patents, this document claims that the process is initiated by the direct action of microwaves initiating free-radical reactions on the surface of catalysts or sensitizers (i.e. microwave-absorbents) [121]. Even though the catalytic pyrolysis of plastics does involve free-radical chain reaction on the surface of catalysts, it is unlikely that the microwaves on their own are responsible for their initiation. 

Over half of the remaining market for products used in the processing of rubber is made up of antioxidants, antiozonants and stabilizers, either amino compounds or phenols. Aniline is used to manufacture vulcanization accelerators, antioxidants and antidegradants. Of the latter, several are A-substituted derivatives of p-phenylenediamine and octyl dipheny-lamine. Diphenylamines terminate free-radical reactions by donating the amino hydrogen, and are used to protect a wide range of polymers and elastomers. Many synthetic rubbers incorporate alkylated diphenylamine antioxidants. Other antioxidants include aryl amine resinous products from, e.g. condensation of aniline and acetone in the presence of... 

In emulsion polymerization, monomers are polymerized in the form of emulsions and polymerization in most cases involve free-radical reactions. Like suspension polymerization, the emulsion process uses water as the medium. Polymerization is much easier to control in both these processes than in bulk systems because stirring of the reactor charge is easier due to lower viscosity and removal of the exothermic heat of polymerization is greatly facilitated with water acting as the heat sink. Emulsion polymerization, however, differs from suspension polymerization in the nature and size of particles in which polymerization occurs, in the type of substances used as initiators, and also in mechanism and reaction characteristics. Emulsion polymerization normally produces polymer particles with diameters of 0.1-3//. Polymer nanoparticles of sizes 20-30 nm are produced by microemulsion polymerization (Antonietti et al., 1999 Ytldiz et al., 2003). 

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