Suspension polymerization property testing

A new type of giant reactor has been developed at Chemische Werke Hiils and tested on a large scale. This reactor has some remarkable properties—a wide range of applicability for different polymerizations and capacities on the order of 20,000 to 50,000 tons per year. Polymerizations which have been successfully tested are suspension and emulsion PVC, polystyrene, polyolefin, SBR-latices, and solution rubber. 

The primary reason to use lubricants is to reduce friction and wear between two interacting surfaces. Hydrocarbon oils have the proper friction properties to meet these requirements but their low viscosity may cause them to be forced out of the contact region between interfaces. Powders of low MW PIEE may be added to liquid lubricants to provide reserve lubrication in case the liquid phase is forced out. Low-MW PTFE that is used this way is sometimes called an extreme pressure or boundary additive. The type of PTFE used in lubricants may be from either suspension or dispersion polymerization but the small particle size of dispersion-type PTFE is usually preferred to help maintain dispersion in the oil. Many Journal articles and patents have been published that report the performance of lubricating oils with and without the addition of PTFE. For example, Rico et al. [44] provided the results of an extreme pressure wear study of steel balls (Shell four-ball test) with several mineral oils containing four different percentages (1-10%) of PTFE. 

Professor Cohen received an Excellence in Teaching Award for his course on polymeric materials based on this textbook. His research interests focus on the structure-property relationships of elastomers and the testing of theories of rubber elasticity and fracture. Previous research efforts were devoted to the study of suspensions and their applications. He was a co-principal investigator of the Cornell Injection Molding Program initiated under a grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) and supported by an industrial consortium until 2000. 

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