Kinetic Investigation of Polymerization Systems with Charged Monomers

The project is aimed at the investigation of free-radical polymerization processes where charged or ionizable monomers are involved. The study is carried by both experimental analysis and modeling of the kinetic processes. High-quality experimental data are obtained by the implementation of the novel in-situ NMR technique, which allows to collect very accurate information about kinetics and composition. Sophisticated models of polymerization are developed by the combination of fundamental modeling and parameter estimation with the support of the experimental data determined.

Polyelectrolytes are very interesting materials which find application in a large variety of fields, from waste water treatment and paper-making industry to the manufacturing of cosmetics and pharmaceuticals. The presence of charged molecules in these materials determines the peculiar solution and surface properties of the final products. On the other hand, the electrostatic interactions between the charges affect the polymerization behavior during the polymer synthesis.

The kinetic investigation of the polymerization processes to obtain polyelectrolytes is challenging due to the need of simulating the effects of monomer concentration and ionic strength on the reaction kinetics. One objective of this project consists in quantifying the extent of these effects by the experimental characterization of the kinetic and composition behavior of some relevant polyelectrolyte systems. Eventually, the polymerization processes are modeled combining the most recent knowledge of the kinetic schemes of free-radical acrylate systems with the physics beyond the electrostatic interactions between the charged moieties of the reacting species.

Contact Person: Danilo Cuccato

References:

Cuccato, D.; Storti, G.; Morbidelli, M. “Experimental and Modeling Study of Acrylamide Copolymerization with Quaternary Ammonium Salt in Aqueous Solution”, Macromolecules 2015, 48, 5076-5087.

Cuccato, D. “Experimental and Modeling Study of Acrylamide Copolymerization with Cationic Monomers in Aqueous Medium”, Oral Presentation at the Polymer Reaction Engineering IX Conference, May 10-15, 2015, Cancun, Mexico.