The influence of cavitation radicals on the suspension polymerization of n-butyl methacrylate during ultrasonic emulsification

Polymer Engineering and Science. 2025. Vol. 65. No. 1. P. 290–298.

D.E. Roshchin, Torkunov M. K., Shiyanova K. A., Patlazhan S. A.

The influence of cavitation-generated free radicals on the suspension polymerization of n-butyl methacrylate under ultrasonic irradiation was investigated experimentally and by kinetic modeling. A kinetic model of radical polymerization was proposed, considering the interaction of free radicals generated in cavitation bubbles with both monomer molecules and free radicals formed within the monomer droplets. It was found that the primary contribution to the polymerization acceleration come from cavitation radicals generated inside the monomer droplets, whereas the impact of cavitation radicals formed in the dispersion medium decreases as the fraction of monomer in the mixture decreases. Increasing the concentration of cavitation radicals was shown to lead to a reduction in the average chain length and the dispersity of terminated chains. It was demonstrated that the computational results are in good agreement with experimental data.

Ключевые слова: Polymerization, ultrasound, полимеризация, ультразвуковое поле, cavitation radicals, кавитации