Mathematical Model of Step Growth Homopolymerization of Oligomers

Abstract

An approach to modelling the oligomer composition distribution function in the irreversible step growth homopolymerization process based on a mixture of oligomers of arbitrary composition is developed. The approach is based on consideration of probabilities of processes in the system, proceeding from Flory’s principle and obtaining on this basis an infinite system of differential equations linking mole fractions of each oligomer of a finite mixture with the degree of transformation. It is shown that this system has analytical solutions and the Flory distribution is its special case at the initial geometric distribution.