E.p.r. study of radicals produced mechanically in PGMA and their interaction with oxygen

The vibrational grinding of poly(ethyleneglycol methacrylate) (PGMA) in vacuo at the liquid nitrogen temperature gives rise to polymer radicals in high concentrations. Changes in the radical concentration as a function of temperature in the presence and absence of oxygen were followed by means of electron paramagnetic resonance. It was found that polymer radicals reacted at very low temperatures with oxygen with simultaneous formation of polymer peroxy radicals and of a non-paramagnetic polymer tetroxide. This polymer tetroxide, which has been proved indirectly, can decompose to yield polymer peroxy radicals and non-paramagnetic products; the observed anomalies on the curve of the thermal decomposition of radicals may be thus elucidated. The relative participation of polymer tetroxide depends on the oxygen concentration, on the temperature of the sample in contact with oxygen and on the concentration of polymer radicals arising by grinding predominantly on the surface of polymer particles.