Kinetic Study of Photoinitiated Polymerization Reactions by Real-Time Infrared Spectroscopy

摘要

The photoinitiated polymerization of different types of multifunctional monomers has been investigated in situ by real-time infrared (RTIR) spectroscopy. Monomer conversion versus time curves have been recorded in systems where the liquid to solid phase change occurs within seconds. Some important kinetic parameters have been determined for such ultrafast reactions namely the kinetic chain length, the growth rate of polymer chains and the rate constants of the propagation and termination reactions. The influence of chemical and physical factors has been examined for both radical-type (acrylate) and cationic type (epoxide, vinyl ether) polymerizations. RTIR spectroscopy proved particularly useful to study the polymerization of monomer mixtures as it allows one to monitor in situ the disappearance of each monomer.