Kinetic percolation with mobile monomers and solvents as a model for gelation

Abstract

We discuss the results of Monte Carlo simulations of a recent kinetic percolation model applicable to free radical initiated copolymerization of bifunctional and tetrafunctional units in the presence of a solvent. We find that the critical exponent for gelation and the critical amplitudes are unchanged by the inclusion of solvent and mobility. We also obtain relations for the dependence of the critical conversion and the maximum value of the suscepiibility on the fraction of tetrafunctional monomers, solvent concentration, and initiator concentration.