My student is curious on the chemical reaction, but I am a physicist. Can't answer much.
In styrene free radical polymerization, chloroform acts as a chain transfer agent (Odian , 2004 4th Ed., pp 247 ) the reaction is:
--------Mn* + CHCl3 ----> ------Mn-Cl + CHCl2* or
--------Mn* + CHCl3 ----> ------Mn-H + CCl3*
* denotes a growing free radical
TQ. Francisco.....when I dilute polystyrene in chloroform, at first the materials seem to become solution, but eventually the solution become solidify, depend on the evaporation of excess chloroform. Can you explain me, the end product?
Now I understand, there is no reaction there is a disolution "similar disolves similar" the solubility parameter (delta) of polystyrene is 9.13 and the correponding for chloroform is 9.21 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hildebrand_solubility_parameter), they are very similar therefore it is possible that chloroform disolves polystyrene. Note: if the polystyrene comes from expanded polystyrene (thermal cups) it is slightly crosslinked, therefore it will form a gel-like material (swollen) in solution.
Well...thank you. Now, if I put certain nanomaterial in these gel-like material, later it harden, I wish to used it as trapping nanoparticles. I have a student, who can't see what I am trying to do...these nanoparticles can later be used as catalysts.
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