A KINETIC INVESTIGATION OF STYRENE BUTYL ACRYLATE COPOLYMERIZATION

An experimental investigation of the kinetics of the bulk free radical copolymerization of styrene/butyl acrylate initiated with 2,2'-azobisisobutyronitrile (AIBN) was conducted at 50-degrees-C using various initiator concentrations and initial monomer ratios including the azeotropic composition. Reactivity ratios were determined by analyzing composition data using the error-in-variables model. The experiments, designed using the Tidwell-Mortimer criterion, were conducted in sealed ampoules at 50-degrees-C to low conversion levels ( < 7%). From the calculated reactivity ratios, the azeotropic composition was determined and further experiments were run at these conditions as well as at two other initial monomer feed compositions in order to collect composition, rate and molecular weight data. The experiments were run through the full conversion range at two different initiator concentrations.