Monomer reactivity ratios in graft copolymerization

Abstract

AbstractThis paper discusses monomer reactivity ratios in various radiation‐ and redox‐initiated graft copolymerizations. The polymers studied were polyethylene, cellulose acetate, poly(vinyl chloride), polytetrafluoroethylene, poly(vinyl alcohol), and poly(methyl methacrylate); the comonomer mixtures were styrene–acrylonitrile, methyl acrylate–styrene, acrylonitrile–methyl acrylate, and vinyl acetate–acrylonitrile. The polymer–comonomer mixture systems were so chosen as to permit study of both homogeneous and heterogeneous systems. The homogeneous systems included systems of low and high viscosity. The heterogeneous systems included both polymers swollen by the comonomer mixture and polymers not swollen by the comonomer mixture. None of the homogeneous grafting systems studied showed deviations from the normal copolymerization behavior under a variety of experimental conditions. Monomer reactivity ratios in graft copolymerization were the same as the values in nongraft copolymerization. The heterogeneous systems in which the polymer was swollen by the comonomer mixture yielded grafted copolymer compositions which were the same as those in nongraft copolymerization. The heterogeneous grafting system polytetrafluoroethylene/styrene–acrylonitrile showed deviations from normal copolymerization behavior at low degrees of grafting when the reaction was only on the polymer surface. The behavior became normal at higher degrees of grafting when the system approaches that in which the polymer is swollen by the comonomers. In all reaction systems, it was found that the use of radiation to initiate the reaction does not in any way affect the copolymerization behavior of the two monomers in a comonomer pair.