Journal of Polymer Science Part A: Polymer Chemistry, Vol.40, No.20, 3426-3433, 2002
Bimodal molecular weight distribution formed in the emulsion polymerization of ethylene
It is known that the molecular weight distribution (MWD) formed in an emulsion polymerization of ethylene can be bimodal. However, the origin of the bimodality has not been elucidated. In this article, a Monte Carlo simulation is conducted, mostly with parameters reported in the literature. The simulated MWDs are bimodal because of the limited volume effect; that is, the high molecular weight profiles are distorted by the small particle size, which is comparable to the size of the largest branched polymer molecule in a particle. The simulated MWDs agree reasonably well with the experimentally obtained MWDs.
Keywords:emulsion polymerization;molecular weight distribution/molar mass distribution;Monte Carlo simulation;polyethylene (PE);branched