Ultrasonic degradation of polystyrene. Part II. Experimental

Abstract

Molecular weight distributions have been found for fractions of polystyrene degraded ultrasonically in benzene solution at very low concentrations (0.002% w/v). The distributions show that little, if any, of the degradation products include molecules of molecular weight less than 50,000. The variation of the rate constant for the degradation of the molecules with molecular weight follows the theoretical relation being proportional to M^2.82 derived in Part I up to molecular weights of 10⁶. Beyond this value the rate constant increases at a slower rate. This is attributed to a change in the variation of the shock pressure and rear flank of the shock wave with distance from the cavity. The rate constant for a given fraction reaches a peak at a concentration of about 0.01% w/v after which it falls rapidly with increasing concentration. This is attributed to the formation of a network by the polymer which reduces the rate of the cavity collapse.