Thermal runaway inhibition of styrene polymerization reaction by 4,6-dinitro-o-sec-butylphenol (DNBP)

We investigated the inhibition of thermal runaway of styrene polymerization by DNPB. DNBP is an inhibitor in styrene polymerization reaction. Polymerization is one of eighteen hazardous processes. Styrene polymerization reaction is characterized by high heat production and fast reaction rate. Firstly, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and adiabatic calorimetry (ARC) were chosen to study the effect of different mass of DNBP on thermal behavior in non-isothermal and adiabatic environments. Secondly, exploring the inhibitory effect of DNBP at different runaway temperatures using an oil bath reactor. The results showed that when DNBP was at 0.80%, effective inhibition was obtained at different runaway temperatures. Finally, GC/MS and Gauss16 were used to infer the mechanism of inhibition in terms of macroscopic products and microscopic instabilities. The results showed that the products of the oil bath reactor experiments were related to the mass of DNBP, and when DNBP was 0.80%, the products increased and the main reaction was inhibited. Finally, it was deduced that the nitro group undergoes a possible path of direct addition reaction with the styrene radical before bond breaking.