Microwave-assisted free radical copolymerizations of styrene and methyl methacrylate

Free radical copolymerizations of styrene and MMA were performed in toluene and DMF as solvents using different peroxide initiators with and without microwave irradiation. A general trend showed significant solvent dependence of monomer conversion rate only for copolymerizations initiated by tert-butyl perbenzoate in DMF compared to toluene but nearly no impact for copolymerizations initiated by dicumyl peroxide and dibenzoyl peroxide. Significant variations in copolymer composition were not observed for reactions under conventional heating compared to microwave irradiation. It was concluded that enhanced initiator decomposition under microwave irradiation in DMF accelerate polymerization of styrene and MMA by formation of larger amount of initiator radicals.