Validation of an Extended Kinetic Model of Free-Radical N-Vinylpyrrolidone Polymerization

To predict the polymer properties produced by free-radical polymerization of N-vinylpyrrolidone (NVP) in aqueous solution a detailed kinetic model has been developed. The kinetic model allows to calculate the chain length distribution, the number of branching points, and the number of terminal double bonds (TDB). The latter is accounted for since TDBs are a precondition for branching. While monomer conversion can be predicted sufficiently using independently determined rate constants for propagation and termination, here the predictions of structural properties by a newly developed extended kinetic model to experimental findings are compared. Polymer produced in a continuous stirred tank reactor is analyzed by gel permeation chromatography (GPC), field flow fractionation (FFF), and high-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC).