Molecular Weight Distribution Simulation in Equilibrium Ring-Opening Polymerization: A New Macroscopic Model

Compared with other types of polymerization, the molecular weight and its distribution (MWD) of equilibrium ring-opening polymerization (EROP) are complicated and have not been extensively studied. By using statistic method, a series of equations based on polymerization mechanism is established to describe numbers of rings, chains, and active centers. Using this new model, the predicted results of polydimethylsiloxane synthesized by EROP agree well with experimental results. This model has advantages in molecule number, calculation speed, and stability when compared with the Monte Carlo simulation. It also has the potential to replace Monte Carlo simulation in MWD prediction.