POLYMERIZATION OF VINYL MONOMERS IN THE PRESENCE OF CELLULOSE ACETATE

Abstract

Acrylonitrile (AN), methyl methacrylate (MMA) and vinyl acetate (VAc) were polymerized in the presence of cellulose acetate.
In this study, benzoyl peroxide (BPO) was used as an initiator for radical polymerization.
The cellulose acetate was treated with vinyl monomers at room temperature or 60°C.
The viscosity of the dilute acetone solution of the products was measured, and the thermal stability of the cellulose acetate fiber treated with MMA was also measured.
The results obtained are as follows:
1) AN and VAc do not polymerize so much as MMA.
2) In the case of AN and MMA, Huggins' constant k′ of the dilute acetone solution of the products decrease in comparison with untreated cellulose acetate. However, in the case of VAc, k′ increases a little.
3) The cellulose acetate fiber treated with MMA has smaller thermal deformation than that of untreated cellulose acetate fiber.