Analysis of the Microwave Activated Atom Transfer Radical Polymerization of Methyl Methacrylate and Styrene Using Modeling Tools

Abstract

The effect of microwave irradiation (MI) on the kinetics and molecular weight development in the atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) of methyl methacrylate (MMA) and styrene is studied by using modeling tools. Two models are proposed; one captures the “microwave effect”' through a microwave‐activated radical generation from monomer reaction, besides the typical reactions involved in the polymerization scheme for ATRP, and the other considers non‐constant predefined temperature profiles for the polymerization scheme of ATRP (“thermal effect”' model). It is found that both models can reproduce equally well the experimental behavior and performance of several systems reported in the literature. So, more experimental and modeling studies are needed to actually discriminate between the two models.