Kinetic modeling of simultaneous polycondensation and free radical polymerization for polyurethane/poly(methyl methacrylate) interpenetrating polymer network
Jie Jin, Yin‐Ning Zhou, Zheng‐Hong Luo
Abstract
Abstract A comprehensive kinetic Monte Carlo algorithm has been developed to investigate the formation process of a polyurethane/poly(methyl methacrylate) (PU/PMMA) interpenetrating polymer network (IPN), in which a component independent strategy is proposed to perform the simulation of simultaneous polycondensation and free radical polymerization. An empiric diffusion model based on the mass fraction of polymer is used to quantify the effect of diffusional limitations on MMA polymerization. Results show that the presence of acrylic monomers has little impact on the formation rate of PU, but the presence of the PU network can accelerate the polymerization of MMA. In addition, the effects of component mass ratio, acrylic cross‐linker concentration, and [NCO]/[OH] ratio on the IPN formation kinetics are investigated based on the kinetic model. It is believed that the as‐developed modeling strategy can be extended to other IPN systems and provide a better understanding of the interactions between chemically independent networks.