Kinetics of polymerization of methacrylic acid in the presence of a fluoro-copolymer

Abstract The kinetics of polymerization of methacrylic acid have been investigated in the presence of benzoyl peroxide in combination with the copolymer of hexafluoropropylene with vinylidene fluoride. The specific orders of the reactions with respect to the monomer and the initiator have been determined, and also the rate constants of the reactions at various temperatures; the activation energy has been calculated. Increase of the fluoro-copolymer content in the reaction mixture increased the rate of the methacrylic acid (MAA) polymerization. The relevant kinetic equation for the process rate in the presence of the fluoro-copolymer is proposed and takes into account two possible simultaneous reactions, namely the homopolymerization and the grafting reaction. The constant for the chain transfer on the fluoro-copolymer has been determined.