We report a high-throughput study of the kinetics of
a multicomponent
polymerization reaction in a microfluidic reactor integrated with in situ attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared
spectroscopy. The technique was used to study the kinetics of an exemplary
free-radical polymerization reaction of N-isopropylacrylamide,
which was initiated by ammonium persulfate in the presence of the
accelerator N,N,N′,N′-tetramethylethylenediamine in
water. By monitoring the rate of disappearance of the monomer double
bonds, we determined the effects of the concentration of the monomer,
initiator, and accelerator on the rate of polymerization and the effect
of the pH of the reaction system on the reaction kinetics. This work
opens the way for the kinetic studies of complex polymer systems in
a microfluidic format.
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