Free-Radical Polymerization Heterogeneous Systems

There are many unique polymerization processes which share a conunon heritage with emulsion polymerization, but which often are unrecognized as such. It is the purpose of this review to describe some of these emulsion polymerization-like processes and their products. Some further definition is in order unconventional emulsion polymerizations can be described as those processes whereby the product is a polymer latex that physically resembles latex from emulsion polymerization and cannot be grouped into any other recognized form of heterogeneous polymerization. In many cases the reasons why a process is not recognized as an emulsion polymerization is that the polymerization is not via a free-radical process. This review (hscusses four distinct types of polymerization processes, all of which have examples that produce latex particles and in many ways can be described as unconventional emulsion polymerizations. These are free-radical polymerization, ionic polymerization, transition metal catalyzed polymerization and enzyme-catalyzed polymerization. The precise systems discussed in this review are described in Table 23.1. 

Billingham, N. C. and A. D. Jenkins, Free Radical Polymerization in Heterogeneous Systems, Chap. 6 in Comprehensive Chemical Kinetics, Vol. 14A, C. H. Bamford and C. F. H. Tipper, eds., American Elsevier, New York, 1976. 

Tt is well known that the presence of precipitated polymer can influence the course of polymerization. In bulk acrylonitrile polymerization the effects are most dramatic and have been the subject of many studies. The literature on this subject has been reviewed by Bamford et al. (4) by Thomas (29), and by Peebles (23). Under conditions where the system becomes heterogeneous owing to precipitation of small particles of polymer, a protracted acceleration period is observed at the start of polymerization, and the final rate is found to depend on the 0.8 power of the concentration of free radical initiator. Unusual post-polymerization effects are observed in photoinitiated polymerization of acrylonitrile, owing to the presence of trapped radicals which can be detected by electron spin resonance. None of the detailed mechanisms proposed to... 

The discussion of free-radical polymerizations in Chapters 6 and 7 focused primarily on homogeneous reaction systems, in which monomer, polymer, and any solvent were all miscible. This conventional presentation makes it much easier to grasp the fundamentals of free-radical polymerizations. In fact, however, many large-scale processes are carried out in heterogeneous systems, because these offer advantages over alternative procedures. Their overall importance is such as to justify this chapter describing the effects of process conditions on polymer properties. 

Another problem involves the classification of these metal-based heterogeneous systems into suspension, dispersion, and emulsion polymerizations similarly to conventional systems. This is due to not only a lack of detailed analysis of reaction mechanisms and particle sizes but also fundamental differences in several aspects such as the locus of initiation and the molecular weight of polymers in comparison with the conventional counterparts. The terms suspension and emulsion will be used in the following sections for simple classification but are not based on the strict definition for conventional free radical systems. 

Among the large variety of systems applied to carry out free-radical polymerization in heterogeneous media, emulsion polymerization is the most... 

Ultra-high-molecular-weight PVK is obtained by the heterogeneous solution polymerization in methanol/tert-butyl alcohol with a low-temperature free radical initiator, such as 2,2 -azobis-(2,4-dimethylvaleronitrile) (ADMVN). In this solvent system, the polymerization rate of NVK, is in a nearly proportional concentration of ADMVN, thus suggesting a heterogeneous nature for the polymerization. ... 

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