Thermal behaviour of acrylonitrile polymerization and polyacrylonitrile decomposition

The microcalorimetric studies on the polymerization of acrylonitrile with and without the thermal influence of polyacrylonitrile decomposition provide vital information on its thermal sensitivity and intrinsic safety. The present studies indicate that the exothermicity of polymerization and decomposition of polyacrylonitrile are kept under check by the self-regulatory role of the aqueous medium. However, the polymer drying operation is more prone to thermal hazards under unregulated temperature regime. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.