Vinyl polymerization. 284. Polymerization of methyl methacrylate initiated by 4.4′‐diazidoazobenzene

Abstract

Abstract The kinetics of the radical polymerization of methyl methacrylate (MMA) with 4.4′‐diazidoazobenzene (DAAB) as initiator was investigated in benzene solution. It was found that the initial rate of polymerization (R p ) can be expressed by the equation: The overall activation energy for the polymerization was estimated to be 20.5 kcal/mole. The polymer obtained by the polymerization of MMA initiated by the above initiator was found to contain azobenzene fragment, presumably as endgroup. The thermal decomposition of DAAB was also studied in the temperature range 110 to 130°C. The overall activation energy of the decomposition of DAAB was 35.2 kcal/mole. The polymerization mechanism is discussed on the basis of these results.