On-line monitoring of key copolymerization reaction parameters

PMSE 325

Greg Saunders, GPC@polymerlabs.com1, Ian Willoughby, GPC@polymerlabs.com1, Stephen O'Donohue, GPC@polymerlabs.com1, John A. McConville, PMC@polymerlabs.com2, and Wayne F. Reed, wreed@tulane.edu3. (1) Polymer Laboratories Ltd, Now a part of Varian, Inc, Essex Road, Church Stretton, Shropshire, SY6 6AX, England, (2) Polymer Laboratories, Varian, Inc, Amherst Fields Research Park, 160 Old Farm Road, Amherst, MA 01002, (3) Physics Department, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA 70118
Combining monomers into copolymers allows the synthesis of materials with novel characteristics, such as the amphiphilic block copolymers with unusual phase-separation properties. Furthermore, modern controlled radical polymerization techniques allow the synthesis of a wide range of copolymers with relative ease. During the polymerization, these reactions are controlled by mechanism, thermodynamics and kinetics of the process. Understanding these parameters is vital to controlling the final product and designing polymers with custom properties.

This paper discusses new process monitoring and control (PMC) systems for monitoring copolymerization reactions in or near real time using rapid chromatographic or automatic online continuous monitoring (ACOMP) techniques. Continuously sampling from the reactor, PMC systems can determine molecular weights, percentage conversions, solution viscosities and percentage compositions as a function of reaction time. Such systems drastically shortening the time taken to fully describe a polymerization process. Examples of monitoring various copolymerization systems will be presented to illustrate the technology.

 

Joint PMSE/POLY Poster Session
6:00 PM-8:00 PM, Tuesday, 12 September 2006 Moscone Center -- Hall D, Poster

Division of Polymeric Materials: Science & Engineering

The 232nd ACS National Meeting, San Francisco, CA, September 10-14, 2006