Effects of Thiols, Lithium Chloride, and Ethoxylated Monomers on the Frontal Polymerization of a Triacrylate

Thermal frontal polymerization is a process in which a localized reaction propagates through an unstirred system by the coupling of the thermal diffusion and the Arrhenius kinetics of an exothermic polymerization. With multifunctional acrylates, such as trimethylolpropane triacrylate (TMPTA-n), front temperatures can reach 250 degrees C, resulting in smoke from unreacted peroxide. Addition of a thiol lowers the front temperature and the front velocity due the copolymerization between the thiol and the acrylate, with some formulations not sufficiently reactive to sustain frontal polymerization. The effects of molecular weight per thiol and functionality of thiol on front temperature and velocity were studied in the frontal copolymerization of TMPTA-n/trimethylolpropane ethoxylate triacrylate and different thiols. We also investigated the front temperature and velocity for a system containing triacrylate and dodecyl acrylate. Finally, the effects of lithium chloride in the presence of thiol on the front velocity and front temperature were studied. (C) 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 49: 4556-4561, 2011