Co(II)-Mediated Catalytic Chain Transfer Polymerization (CCTP) Carried Out Under Flow Reaction Conditions and...

Area of Science:

• Polymer Chemistry
• Chemical Engineering
• Materials Science

Background:

• Catalytic chain transfer polymerization (CCTP) is a controlled polymerization technique.
• Implementing CCTP in continuous flow systems offers potential advantages for scalability and efficiency.
• Bis-[(difluoroboryl)-dimethylglyoximato] cobalt-(II) (CoBF) is a known chain transfer agent for CCTP.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the performance of CoBF in thermally induced CCTP across three distinct flow reactor designs.
• To evaluate the impact of varying reaction parameters (monomer type, temperature, stirring rate) on CCTP in flow.
• To compare the efficiency and control of flow-based CCTP with conventional batch processes.

Main Methods:

• Utilized three flow reactor systems: CSTR cascade, tubular reactor, and Corning AFR.
• Systematically varied monomer, temperature, and stirring rate during polymerization.
• Employed online continuous gel permeation chromatography (GPC) for reproducibility assessment.

Main Results:

• All tested flow reactor designs successfully executed CCTP using CoBF.
• The CSTR cascade demonstrated enhanced polymerization rates and conversions without loss of control.
• The chemistry proved adaptable to continuous flow conditions, with reproducible results confirmed by GPC.

Conclusions:

• Thermally induced CCTP using CoBF is effective and controllable in various continuous flow reactor configurations.
• Flow chemistry provides a viable platform for the scalable and reproducible production of polymers via CCTP.
• The CoBF-mediated CCTP is well-suited for industrial applications requiring continuous manufacturing processes.