ISSN print edition: 0366-6352 ISSN electronic edition: 1336-9075 Registr. No.: MK SR 9/7 Published monthly

Photoinitiated emulsion polymerization of styrene or methyl methacrylate in the presence of zinc oxide

I. Hudec, D. Mikulášová, P. Citovický, and V. Chrástová

Department of Chemical Technology of Plastics and Fibres, Slovak Technical University, CS-812 37 Bratislava

Abstract:  It is suitable to use visible light for the photoinitiated emulsion polymerization of styrene or methyl methacrylate in the presence of zinc oxide and 3,6-diaza-l,8-octanediamine at 30 °C. The conversion curves of styrene or methyl methacrylate polymerization are characterized by an induction period, which is greater in the case of the polymerization of methyl methacrylate. The higher the concentration of zinc oxide the higher the induction period. The effect of postpolymerization was observed, which is more expressive at higher concentration of ZnO. Some molecular characteristics of the obtained polystyrene and poly(methyl methacrylate) were determined by means of viscosimetric and GPC methods. The determined values of the relative molecular mass of polystyrene were in the range of 8.5 x 10⁶ to 2.9 x 10⁷, the coefficient of polymolecularity was in the range 1.3 to 1.5. The relative molecular mass for poly(methyl methacrylate) was in the range of 1.0 x 10⁷ to 2.4 x 10⁷ with the lowest value for the coefficient of polymolecularity 1.42.

Full paper in Portable Document Format: 374a485.pdf

Chemical Papers 37 (4) 485–494 (1983)