Another Look at Long-Chain Branching

Abstract

Abstract Long-chain branching can occur during radical polymerization and is especially important for polyethylene. An improved method of calculating the effect of long-chain branching on molecular weight distribution is presented. This method uses a probability treatment. The results are more consistent with both kinetic theory and experimental data than the results of previous long-chain branching calculations. In contrast to previous calculations, the present work shows that generation cannot occur from long-chain branching alone.