Morsley, David Robert (1999) The catalytic chain transfer emulsion polymerisation of acrylic monomers. PhD thesis, University of Warwick.

Preview

PDF WRAP_THESIS_Morsley_1999.pdf - Submitted Version - Requires a PDF viewer such as GSview, Xpdf or Adobe Acrobat Reader Download (7Mb)

Abstract

This thesis has explored the synthesis of macromonomers by Catalytic Chain Transfer (CCT) emulsion polymerisation. It has been shown that the effective synthesis of methacrylate macromonomers using catalyst concentrations below a threshold level is not possible since the viscosity in the particles becomes too high to allow efficient movement of the CCT agent between latex particles. It has been demonstrated that an addition of a shot of monomer at the start of the reaction is necessary to allow effective CCT to occur. The addition of the water soluble methacrylate monomer HEMA to a methyl methacrylate CCT emulsion polymerisation was shown to have little effect on the transfer reaction. Macromonomers consisting of a statistical mixture of MMA and HEMA can therefore be easily prepared by CCT emulsion polymerisation. The results of CCT emulsion polymerisation where the synthesis of butyl acrylate/ methyl methacrylate macromonomers were attempted were also outlined and effective macromonomer synthesis was observed for low amounts of acrylate. For higher amounts of acrylate it was observed that effective macromonomer synthesis was only observed up to moderate conversions. The synthesis of methacrylic acid containing macromonomers using CCT emulsion polymerisation was studied and it was shown that controlled macromonomer synthesis could only be carried out at low methacrylic acid concentrations. Results described show that the effectiveness of the CCT emulsion polymerisation process is very dependant on the solublity of the catalyst. The more the CCT agent is soluble in the monomer and hence particle phase the greater the observed transfer constant. If the catalyst is too soluble in the monomer the observed transfer constant is greatly reduced due to the inability of the catalyst to transport from the monomer droplets to the particles effeciently.

Item Type:	Thesis or Dissertation (PhD)
Subjects:	Q Science > QD Chemistry
Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH):	Macromolecules -- Synthesis, Emulsion polymerization, Methacrylic acid -- Synthesis
Date:	December 1999
Institution:	University of Warwick
Theses Department:	Department of Chemistry
Thesis Type:	PhD
Publication Status:	Unpublished
Supervisor(s)/Advisor:	Haddleton, David ; Richards, Stuart
Sponsors:	University of Warwick
Extent:	xxii, 203 p.
Language:	eng
URI:	http://wrap.warwick.ac.uk/id/eprint/37606

Request changes to a record

Actions (login required)

View Item