An ESR study of the polymerisation of acrylates
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Date
1994-11-16
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Publisher
Australian Institute of Nuclear Science and Engineering
Abstract
Acrylic monomers have found industrial applications as reactive diluents in the coatings industry. Few studies have been carried out to examine the mechanism by which the polymerisation reaction proceeds in these systems. In the present study, purified monomer samples were solidified at 77K and irradiated with gamma-radiation from a 60Co source. The radicals produced as a result of irradiation were examined using ESR spectroscopy. Initial spectra recorded at 77K have been attributed to a combination of signals from several
species including the initiating acrylate radical, the spectrum of which has been simulated theoretically. Warming the samples produced changes in the observed ESR spectra which have been attributed to the formation of the acrylate propagating radical. The structure of this radical has been proposed and the theoretical spectrum of such a radical compared with that obtained experimentally. Changes in the total radical concentration with temperature have been followed and rationalised. G-values for radical production have been calculated for several monomers. It was noted that there was a trend toward increasing G-values with increasing length of the acrylic ester sidechain. Prerequisites and precautions necessary for future work in this area have been identified.
Description
Keywords
Acrylates, Polymerization, Radicals, Monomers, Electronic spin resonance, Solvents, Gamma radiation
Citation
Gant, G. J., Garrett, R. W., & Lang, A. P. (1994). An ESR study of the polymerisation of acrylates. Poster presented to the AINSE Conference on Radiation Biology and Chemistry, Cuming Theatre, Chemistry Department, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, 16-18 November 1994. ( pp. 17).