Effect of amine compounds on the self-polymerisation of methyl methacrylate

This work is the result of the experimental analysis of the effect of different alkyl anilines (accelerators) on the self-polymerisation of methyl methacrylate. The state of the art before this study suggested that there should have been no significant increase in the rate of polymerisation reaction until the initiator (typically a peroxide) is added to the stabilised mixture of monomer and accelerator. All the experimental results found during this investigation indicated instead that the accelerators can affect the rate of polymerisation even if no peroxide is present in the system. Different kinds of alkyl anilines in methyl methacrylate have been tested by differential scanning calorimetry and adiabatic calorimetry. The experimental data allowed us to define safety ranges for the polymerisation reaction.