adsorption process of co(acac)2 catalyst on the surface of mesoporous silica gel particles: an effective method to make a new supported catalyst for the controlled radical polymerization of vinyl acetate

The supported catalysts, specifically those containing cobalt(ii) acetylacetonate (co(acac)2), are among the important materials for the organometallic-mediated radical polymerization of vinyl acetate (vac) monomers. in this study, we report an applicable and efficient technique to produce new supported co(acac)2 catalysts through adsorption of co(acac)2 on the surface of mesoporous silica gel particles. for this purpose, adsorption process of co(acac)2 on these particles was studied from different perspectives such as mechanism, kinetics and thermodynamic. adsorption experiments were conducted under various conditions, including various contact times, initial co(acac)2 concentrations, and temperatures. at the end, a number of adsorption models with the highest compatibility with the experimental data were implemented. the polymerization of vac was carried out using a new supported catalyst. this catalyst was highly efficient for either controlling the radical polymerization and synthesis of poly vinyl acetate with controlled molecular weight and molecular weight distribution.