Abstract:
The synthesis of vinyl chloride (VCM)/vinylidene chloride (VDC) copolymers by free radical polymerization in a suspension system is described. This research is involved with the study of the factors affecting synthesis, physical, chemical and mechanical properties of copolymer by varying of comonomer loading, polymerization temperature and initiator concentration. The effect of stirring speed on particle size of the product was also observed. Characterization of the resulting copolymer was conducted with FTIR,¹³C-NMR, DSC, GPC and particle size analyzer. It was found that characteristics, thermal properties and particle size of the copolymers depended on copolymer composition and speed of stirring, respectively. In terms of mechanical properties, PVC showed better tensile properties for the same conditions studied, which was influenced by molecular weight and copolymer composition.
