The Mechanochemical Polymerization of Methyl Methacrylate Initiated by the Grinding of Quartz and Quartz Glass.

The polymerization of methyl methacrylate mechano-chemically initiated by the grinding of solid samples in a monomer was attempted using a vibrating ball mill. The samples used were quartz and quartz glass with the same chemical bonds but with different crystal structures. The results showed that the polymerization was closely related to the total surface area of ground quartz sample. The existence of different induction periods, which is the time until the polymerization starts, was also confirmed according to various experimental conditions. The analysis of the initial polymerization rate suggested that this reaction proceeded with a radical polymerization mechanism by the active mechanoradicals produced by the grinding. It was found that the number-average molecular weights of the polymethyl methacrylates formed were 200, 000-300, 000, and the distributions were markedly broad.