Abstract

The propagation kinetics and copolymerization behavior of the biorenewable monomer γ-methyl-α-methylene-γ-butyrolactone (MeMBL) are studied using the pulsed laser polymerization (PLP)/size exclusion chromatography (SEC) technique. The propagation rate coefficient for MeMBL is 15% higher than that of its structural analogue, methyl methacrylate (MMA), with a similar activation energy of 21.8 kJ·mol(-1). When compared to MMA, MeMBL is preferentially incorporated into copolymers when reacted with styrene (ST), MMA, and n-butyl acrylate (BA); the monomer reactivity ratios fit from bulk MeMBL/ST, MeMBL/MMA, and MeMBL/BA copolymerizations are r(MeMBL) = 0.80 ± 0.04 and r(ST) = 0.34 ± 0.04, r(MeMBL) = 3.0 ± 0.3 and r(MMA) = 0.33 ± 0.01, and r(MeMBL) = 7.0 ± 2.0 and r(BA) = 0.16 ± 0.03, respectively. In all cases, no significant variation with temperature was found between 50 and 90 °C. The implicit penultimate unit effect (IPUE) model was found to adequately fit the composition-averaged copolymerization propagation rate coefficient, k(p,cop), for the three systems.

Talk to us

Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have

Schedule a call

Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.