Molecular weight distribution of hyperbranched polymers generated by self-condensing vinyl polymerization in presence of a multifunctional initiator

The molecular weight distribution (MWD) is derived for polymers generated by self-condensing vinyl polymerization (SCVP) of a monomer having a vinyl and an initiator group ("inimer") in the presence of a multifunctional initiator. If the monomer is added slowly to the initiator solution (semi-batch process), this leads to hyperbranched polymers with a multifunctional core. If monomer and initiator are mixed simultaneously (batch process), even at vinyl group conversions as high as 99%, the total MWD consists of polymers which have grown via reactions between inimer molecules (i.e., the normal SCVP process) and those which have reacted with the initiator. Consequently, the weight distribution, w(M), is bimodal. However, the z-distribution, z(M), equivalent to the "GPC distribution", w(log M) vs log M, is unimodal.