Continuous distribution kinetics for ultrasonic degradation of polymers

Madras, Giridhar and Kumar, Sanjay and Chattopadhyay, Sujay (2000) Continuous distribution kinetics for ultrasonic degradation of polymers. In: Polymer Degradation and Stability, 69 (01). pp. 73-78.

PDF sdarticle.pdf - Published Version Restricted to Registered users only Download (162kB) | Request a copy

Abstract

The ultrasonic degradation of polystyrene and poly(vinyl acetate) in chlorobenzene was studied. The time evolution of the molecular weight distributions (MWDs) were determined by gel permeation chromatography of the degraded samples. The data were analyzed with a continuous distribution kinetics model that treats the molecular weight as a continuous variable. Since the chain cleavage in the ultrasonic degradation of polymers occurs preferentially near the midpoint of the polymer backbone, a stoichiometric kernel that describes scission at the middle of the chain was used. The degradation rate coefficients of the polymers were determined using our model and was found to be 0.032 min(-1). The model successfully simulated the number average molecular weight, the polydispersity of the degraded polymer and the time evolution of the molecular weight distributions.

Item Type:	Journal Article
Publication:	Polymer Degradation and Stability
Publisher:	Elsevier
Additional Information:	Copyright of this article belongs to Elsevier.
Keywords:	Ultrasound; Polymers;Degradation;Continuous distribution kinetics
Department/Centre:	Division of Mechanical Sciences > Chemical Engineering
Date Deposited:	11 Mar 2009 06:25
Last Modified:	19 Sep 2010 04:54
URI:	http://eprints.iisc.ac.in/id/eprint/17013

Actions (login required)

View Item