Effect of graphite on styrene suspension polymerization kinetics

The incorporation of graphite into polystyrene (PS) particles produced by suspension polymerization was studied using benzoyl peroxide (BPO). The results showed that the polymerization rate was affected by graphite concentration (the inhibition effect on the polymerization) when BPO was used as the initiator. The result showed that during the reaction with BPO and graphite, the free radicals generated by the decomposition of BPO presented a very high reactivity with the functional groups present at the graphite surface. By increasing the amount of graphics, to achieve to 100% conversion, the amount of initiator should increase linearly