Continuous flow synthesis of poly(acrylic acid) via free radical polymerisation

The free radical polymerisation of aqueous solutions of acrylic acid (1) has been studied using a continuous flow reactor to quickly screen reaction parameters such as temperature, residence time, monomer- and initiator concentration. The experimental data sets produced established a theoretical basis for conducting scale up processes to efficiently produce larger quantities of poly(acrylic acid) delivered with good control over the molecular weight and dispersity.