Free‐Radical Termination Kinetics Studied Using a Novel SP‐PLP‐ESR Technique

Summary: A novel method for measuring termination rate coefficients, kt, in free‐radical polymerization is presented. A single laser pulse is used to instantaneously produce photoinitiator‐derived radicals. During subsequent polymerization, radical concentration is monitored by time‐resolved electron spin resonance (ESR) spectroscopy. The size of the free radicals, which exhibits a narrow distribution increases linearly with time t, which allows the chain‐length dependence of kt to be deduced. The method will be illustrated using dodecyl methacrylate polymerization as an example. Two straight lines provide a very satisfactory representation of the chain‐length dependence of kt over the entire chain‐length region (cR = radical concentration). magnified image Two straight lines provide a very satisfactory representation of the chain‐length dependence of kt over the entire chain‐length region (cR = radical concentration).