What are the Stages of Free Radical Polymerization?
Free radical polymerization typically involves three stages: initiation, propagation, and termination.
Initiation In the initiation stage, free radicals generated from initiators react with monomer molecules to form reactive species known as radical centers.
Propagation During propagation, the radical centers react with additional monomer molecules to form a growing polymer chain. This stage continues until the reactive species are deactivated.
Termination Termination occurs when the radical centers are deactivated, either by combining with another radical center (coupling) or by disproportionation, where one radical transfers a hydrogen atom to another, resulting in the formation of two stable molecules.
