Aqueous polymerization of methyl methacrylate initiated by titanium(III)-salicylaldoxime redox system: A kinetic study

The polymerization of methyl methacrylate initiated by the titanium(III)-salicylaldoxime redox system was studied in an aqueous sulfuric acid-ethanol medium in the temperature range of 20-30 degreesC. The rates of polymerization were investigated at various concentrations of reductant, oxidant, ethanol, sulfuric acid, and monomer. Cyclic voltammetric sensing of salicylaldoxime kinetic conditions demonstrated its reduction behavior. From the results obtained, it was inferred that the polymerization reaction was initiated by an organic free radical arising from the titanium(III)-salicylaldoxime redox system and termination took place predominantly by mutual coupling and small fraction by chain transfer mechanism involving solvent molecules. The effects of some water-miscible organic solvents and surfactants on the rate of polymerization were investigated. The temperature dependence of the rate was studied and the activation parameters were computed using Arrhenius and Eyring plots. A suitable kinetic scheme has been proposed on the basis of experimental observations.