Reaction monitoring
• Free radical homo- and copolymerization (solvent, bulk);
• Step growth polymerization;
• Controlled radical homo- and copolymerization (ATRP, NMP, RAFT) and other living types (ROMP);
• Batch, continuous, pressurized reactors;
• Heterogeneous phase, emulsion and inverse emulsion;
• Grafting and cross-linking reactions, multiblock syntheses;
• Post-polymer modifications; e.g. hydrolysis, quaternization, etc.
• Next: Extension to slurries, fluidized bed;
• Feedback control, batch, semi-batch, continuous reactors;
• Relation of microscopic distributions to macroscopic properties; e.g. adhesion, processability culminating in
• ‘On-command' polymers
Relevant Results
• Free radical terpolymerization: Determination of Mw - a new accomplishment in online monitoring using ACOMP
BA/MMA/Styrene terpolymerization reaction: Raw voltages
Theoretical predictions of Mw and for different scenarios
• Heterogeneous phase polymerization
1. Inverse emulsion polymerization - first heterogeneous phase polymerization reaction monitored by ACOMP
2. Emulsion polymerization - a significant progress in unifying polymer and colloid worlds: Simultaneous monitoring of both polymer and particle characteristics in emulsion polymerization
Detectors on the ‘polymer side' included the MALS, viscometer, full spectrum UV/Vis, and RI detectors, as before. The ‘particle side' included a Malvern Mastersizer2000 detector, employing Mie scattering analysis from multi-angle scattering data. On the left side of figure, raw signals from the monomer/polymer side used to compute polymer mass, reduced viscosity, monomer conversion, etc, and on the right side, particle size distribution and specific surface area from the Mie scattering analysis are shown.
ACOMP allows predictive control of average molar mass and composition distributions - first step: control of free radical homopolymerization
Mw for batch and semibatch polymerization reactions. Semi-batch from left. Batch conditions same, except Cm,0 =0.015g/cm3 , hence the higher Mw.
