MOLECULAR-WEIGHT DISTRIBUTION IN FREE-RADICAL CROSS-LINKING COPOLYMERIZATION

A new theory to predict the molecular weight distribution in free-radical copolymerization of vinyl and divinyl monomers is proposed. This theory is based on the cross-linking density distribution of the primary polymer molecules proposed earlier. The cross-linking density distribution is a very important feature of polymer networks synthesized in a kinetically controlled system; it provides information on how each chain is connected to other chains, and, therefore, a full molecular weight distribution and detailed structural information can be known by application of the Monte Carlo simulation. The present theory accounts for the history of the generated network structure and can be applied to various polymerization systems as well as for various reactor types. The present simulation is a direct solution for the chemically controlled network formation, and, therefore, it provides a testing method for the applicability of earlier theories of network formation.