Diffusion-controlled copolymerization kinetics

I.A. Maxwell, G.T. Russell

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

    31 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    The Smoluchowski equation is used to derive equations for predicting the values of diffusion-controlled propagation and termination rate coeffs. in copolymn. None of the resulting expressions are any more complicated than the analogous homopolymn. results. Diffusion-controlled propagation rate coeffs. in copolymn. are predicted to depend only very weakly on chain-end type, and thus the propagation kinetics of high-conversion copolymns. are expected to be considerably simpler than those of low conversions. In considering termination, expressions for the rate coeff. for termination by reaction diffusion are first derived. It is possible that under some conditions (for example, high conversions) these expressions describe the overall rate of termination, but in general, overall rates of termination will be detd. by rates of center-of-mass diffusion, which are chain-length dependent. For this reason, the reaction-diffusion results are incorporated into a more general treatment of termination in which chain-end motion is both by translational and reaction diffusion; this treatment is envisaged as applying from intermediate conversions onward. Considerable effort is subsequently invested in developing simple descriptions of copolymn. in which rate coeffs. (and in particular those for termination) are allowed to be chain-length dependent. An important feature of application is that for every parameter utilized, a means of assocg. to it a value appropriate for a real system is discussed; in most cases this assocn. is readily carried out. [on SciFinder (R)]
    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)95-128
    Number of pages34
    JournalMakromolekulare Chemie, Theory and Simulations
    Volume2
    Issue number1
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 1993

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