Microwave
Assisted Synthesis, Crosslinking, and Processing of
Polymeric Materials
1Department of Chemistry, Politechnika Krakowska, 31-155 Krakow, ul.Warszawska 24, Poland;
2Industrial
Chemistry Research Institute (ICRI), 01-793 Warszawa, ul. Rydygiera
8,
E-mail: pcbogdal@cyf-kr.edu.pl
The purpose of this review is
to provide useful details concerning the application of microwave irradiation
to the polymer chemistry. Research in
this area has shown some potential advantages of microwaves in the ability not
only to drive chemical processes but to perform them in reduced time scale. In
some cases afforded products exhibited properties that may not be possible
using conventional thermal treatments. This paper exposes and discusses the
microwave-assisted polymer syntheses, crosslinking
and processing with the stress on chemistry of those processes. A short
description of the nature of microwaves as well as their interactions with
different matter, in particular with organic substances, is given to provide a
brief review of those topics. Then the equipment necessary to carry out
microwave experiments is described with links to commercially available
systems. Eventually, the free-radical polymerization reaction of various
unsaturated compounds is presented together with dental applications followed
by step-growth polymerization reactions (i.e,
polyamides, polyimides, polyesters, polyethers, epoxy resins, and polyureatanes),
polymer modification, reaction on polymer matrices, and recycling.
Keywords:
microwave irradiation, polymerization, polymer cure, composite, polymer
matrices
Adv. Polym. Sci, 163, 193-263 (2003);