Inter- and intramolecular crosslinking kinetics: Partitioning according to number of crosslinks

Intramolecular crosslinking is important in many processes, including nanoparticle fabrication, but quantitative models of the kinetics have not been extensively investigated. We propose a distribution kinetics analysis for simultaneous intramolecular and intermolecular crosslinking. For realistic cases, moment equations can be solved and crosslink density computed according to the number of crosslinks. An analytical solution for the ratio of intramolecular to intermolecular crosslinking rates varies inversely with the initial polymer concentration and initial molecular weight, in agreement with published experimental data.