Formation, Degradation, and Applications of Polyperoxides

Abstract

Even though the history and chemistry of polyperoxides is long known, they need further investigation with respect to their reactivity and applications to understand their real potential. For instance, unlike in acid polyperoxides, only scanty reports have been made on the initiating behavior of vinyl polyperoxides inspite of their well-known synthetic chemistry. Hence, it appears that there remains a significant gap between the discovery of vinyl polyperoxides and in our understanding of their role as radical initiator. This article is intended to fill this gap by ventilating the significant developments on polyperoxides, which are finding an increasing role both in fundamental and applied polymer science. However, the scope of this article is restricted to their synthetic methodologies, degradation and applications as initiators/curatives. The kinetics and mechanism of their formation and degradation have been dealt with briefly. The characteristic and notable features of the kinetics and mechanism on polyperoxide initiated polymerizations are also discussed, and some of their applications are highlighted. Emphasis has also been laid on the futuristic research trends on polyperoxides.

Keywords:

• Vinly polyperoxides
• Oxidative polymerization
• Poly(styrene peroxide)
• Autopyrolysis
• Photolysis
• Microviscosity
• Fuel-rich
• Acid polyperoxides
• Degradation
• Polyperoxide initiator
• Curative
• Block copolymer
• Graft copolymer
• Compatibilizer

Acknowledgments

The author is very thankful to the Chairman and Adviser, Bannari Amman Educational Trust and to the Director, Principal and Chief Executive of Bannari Amman Institute of Technology, Sathyamangalam, Erode 638 401, India and to the Director, Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, Thiruvananthapuram-694 022, India, for their encouragement, and support in publishing this article.