EXPERIMENTAL INVESTIGATION ON HIGH CONVERSION FREE-RADICAL POLYMERIZATION OF BEHENYL ACRYLATE

An experimental investigation on the kinetics of free-radical polymerization of behenyl (a mixture of 14.8% n-octadecyl, 15.1% n-eicosyl, and 70.1% n-docosyl) acrylate initiated with benzoyl peroxide was conducted at 70-degrees-C using a HAAKE rotational viscometer. Molecular weight measurements and differential scanning calorimetric studies of the samples are also described and the results are compared with those obtained by batch reactions conducted under a nitrogen atmosphere. A high monomer order of 1.61 +/- 0.11 and a low initiator order of 0.35 +/- 0.04 was obtained. The role played by the long methylene chain in behenyl acrylate is also discussed. (C) 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.