KINETICS OF SOLID-STATE POLYMERIZATION .2.

We investigated the decomposition kinetics of AIBN during the solid-state polymerization of N-vinyl-carbazole. We found that the decomposition of AIBN is much affected by the physical condition of the solid system. The rate of decomposition increases with the progress of polymerization and reaches the rate measured in the liquid phase only when the polymer formed in a large amount (20-40 per cent) has sufficiently loosened the solid structure. We established that the rate of decomposition of AIBN in the solid state can be expressed by the following equation: - dy dt=k1(x)y the initiator and x for the conversion of the monomer. The rate constant of decomposition is an unambiguous function (of a saturation curve type) of conversion. © 1969.