Study on the synthesis and characterization of hydrocarbon resins based on styrene, indene and alfamethylstyrene in stirring tank reactors
Hydrocarbon resins are petroleum-derived compounds used in different industrial applications, such as in adhesive, paint and rubber formulations. The goal of this project is to study the kinetics of cationic synthesis of hydrocarbon resins based on styrene, indene and alfamethylstyrene. Initially the pure monomers were polymerized in stirring tank reactors without variation in the polymerization temperature, amount of catalyst (BF3) and amount of co -catalyst (H2O). The monomers were individually polymerized for a better understanding of the effect and characteristics of the polymerization kinetics involved with the elimination of the effect of co-monomers in the reaction step, thus nullifying the effects of competitions between electrofilic or nucleophilic molecules during the initiation, propagation and termination steps. The use of the monitoring of the “in-situ” reaction was carried out through the introduction of an infrared probe of the React-R type, with the purpose of monitoring the molecular transformations in the wavelength range of 4000 to 500 cm-1 and verification of the consumption groups of the aromatic monomer followed by the formation of polymeric species from the proposed reactions. Calculations will be evaluated in this work in order to obtain the basic kinetic parameters of initiation, propagation and termination, taking into account the barriers cited by other authors in the challenges of obtaining these results due to the speed of extremely exothermic reactions. In the second stage, mixtures of styrene and alfamethylstyrene monomers were performed to verify the mechanical behavior of the obtained resins and tests for adhesive formulations. The characterization of the obtained resins will be done by softening point tests (ring and ball), viscosity (Brookfield), cloud point, glass transition temperature (DSC), dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA), nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), molecular weight (GPC) and residual monomer (liquid cromatography).