ISSN:
0360-6376
Keywords:
Physics
;
Polymer and Materials Science
Source:
Wiley InterScience Backfile Collection 1832-2000
Topics:
Chemistry and Pharmacology
Notes:
The following criteria are proposed to judge whether a coordination polymerization may be diffusion controlled or not: (1) If the number-average molecular weight and polydispersity of the polymer calculated from kinetic rate constants as a function of time agree with the experimental values, the polymerization is not diffusion controlled. (2) The polymerization may be diffusion controlled if the Thiele modulus, the ratio of the characteristic diffusion time to the characteristic reaction time, is much greater than unity; if it is much smaller than unity, the polymerization is reaction controlled. (3) If an initial linear dependence of rate of polymerization on catalyst concentration changes over to a square-root dependence, the polymerization may be diffusion limited. (4) The polymerization is likely to be diffusion limited if the instantaneous rate of polymerization is proportional to the rate of particle growth when the proportionality coefficient is the surface area of the particle. Criterion (1) is a necessary and sufficient condition as stated, as its converse is not true. All the other criteria are merely necessary but not sufficient conditions. The established Ziegler-Natta catalysts have activities too low to cause diffusion limitation; the Phillips catalyst system is likely to be diffusion limited. The polydispersity of polyolefins produced with Ziegler-Natta catalysts are not the consequence of diffusion control but are the characteristics of the catalysts in their kinetics of initiation, propagation, chain transfer, and termination.
Additional Material:
3 Tab.
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/pol.1979.170170827
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