Kinetics of Polycondensation of Sebacic Acid with Glycerol

Abstract

Based on the measurement of infrared spectra carried out during the polycondensation of sebacic acid with glycerol at temperatures of 130, 150, and 170 °C, a kinetic model was created that was in very good agreement with the experimental data. The kinetic model consists of elementary reactions and their kinetic rate constants. The energy of activation of elementary reactions was determined. The numerical solution of the system of differential equations based on elementary reactions of the model allows prediction of changes in considerations of reagents over time and an approximate estimation of the molar mass distribution of polymers in the reaction product. The results of the simulations are in line with the results of the testing experiments and allow us to optimize the course of the reaction, among others, to determine the reaction time to the desired conversion of monomers at a specific size distribution in the product. This is the first work to determine the kinetics of polycondensation of sebacic acid with glycerol based on a kinetic model.