The polymerization of N-vinylcarbazole in the presence of carbon black

In order to obtain more detailed information on the mechanism of the polymerization of N-vinyl-carbazole (N-VC) in the presence of carbon black, a comparison of the rates of conversion under various conditions was made and the following results were obtained. The phenolic hydroxyl groups on the surface of carbon black were found to have an ability to initiate the polymerization, and an increase in dielectric constant of the solvent increased the rate of polymerization. Using the mixture of N-VC and comonomers such as styrene or methyl methacrylate, we found that styrene gives a copolymer with N-VC, while methyl methacrylate gives no copolymer during the early stage of polymerization. The phenomena observed here indicate that the nature of polymerization of N-VC initiated by carbon black is cationic.