Acrylic acid initiation systems

The block copolymer produced in the above protocol can be hydrolysed to produce an acrylic acid containing system. Such block copolymers are not accessible directly by anionic polymerization due to the reactivity of the acidic hydrogen towards basic initiators. The method for the preparation of poly(styrene-Z7-acrylic acid) given below is based upon the procedure described by Zang et al. ... 

For the styrene (S)/acrylic acid (AA) system, the average reactivity ratios for AA (1) and S (2) are r = 0.21 and r2 = 0.33 (Brandrup et al., 1999). This means that both S and AA do not want to react with copolymer radicals of the same moiety. The extent at which this happens is pretty much the same for both monomers thus, with almost equal charges of S and AA, alternating copolymers will be formed. Fiowever, if S outnumbers AA in the initial charge, more S will be added into the copolymer chain. 

Triphenylmethane leuco dyes are used for photographic materials. The photographic system requires a polymer binder such as acrylic acid-methyl methacrylate copolymer115 or a copolymer of isophthalic and terephthalic acids116 a sensitizer such as 4-(4-n-amyloxyphenyl)-2,6-bis(3-ethylphenyl)-thiapyrilium perchlorate,117 a photo initiator such as hexaarylbisimi-dazole,118 and phenyl tribromomethyl sulfone, cycloalkane such as 1,2,3, 4,5-pentabromo-6-chlorocyclohexane,119 or 3-benzylidene-9-methyl-2,3-dihydro- 1 TZ-cyclopenta [b] quinoline.120... 

DSC can be used effectively in the isothermal mode as well. In this case, the container with the sample is inserted into the DSC preheated to the desired test temperature. This type of experiment should be performed to examine systems for induction periods that occur with autocatalytic reactions and with inhibitor depletion reactions. (Reactions with induction periods can give misleading results in the DSC operated with increasing temperature scans.) Autocatalytic reactions are those whose rates are proportional to the concentration of one or more of the reaction products. Some hydroperoxides and peroxy esters exhibit autocatalytic decomposition. Inhibitor depletion can be a serious problem with certain vinyl monomers, such as styrene and acrylic acid, that can initiate polymerization at ambient temperatures and then selfheat into runaways. Isothermal DSC tests can be used to determine a time to runaway that is related to the inhibitor concentration. 

Poly(acrylic acid) is not soluble in its monomer and in the course of the bulk polymerization of acrylic acid the polymer separates as a fine powder. The conversion curves exhibit an initial auto-acceleration followed by a long pseudo-stationary process ( 3). This behaviour is very similar to that observed earlier in the bulk polymerization of acrylonitrile. The non-ideal kinetic relationships determined experimentally in the polymerization of these two monomers are summarized in Table I. It clearly appears that the kinetic features observed in both systems are strikingly similar. In addition, the poly(acrylic acid) formed in bulk over a fairly broad range of temperatures (20 to 76°C) exhibits a high degree of syndiotacticity and can be crystallized readily (3). 

Carboxylated polymers can be prepared by mechanical treatment of frozen polymer solutions in acrylic acid (Heinicke 1984). The reaction mechanism is based on the initiation of polymerization of the frozen monomer by free macroradicals formed during mechanolysis of the starting polymer. Depending on the type of polymer, mixed, grafted, and block polymers with a linear or spatial structure are obtained. What is important is that the solid-phase reaction runs with a relatively high rate. For instance, in the polyamide reactive system with acrylic acid, the tribochemical reaction leading to the copolymer is completed after a treatment time of 60 s. As a rule, the mechanical activation of polymers is mainly carried out in a dry state, because the structural imperfections appear most likely here. 

Medical reports of acute human exposures (concentration unspecified) include moderate and severe skin burns, moderate eye burns and mild inhalation effects. Although acrylic acid is acutely irritating at sites of initial contact, it causes little systemic toxicity. The low systemic toxicity of acrylic acid is likely a consequence of its rapid and extensive metabolism to C02. ... 

Monomer and initiator must be soluble in the liquid and the solvent must have the desired chain-transfer characteristics, boiling point (above the temperature necessary to carry out the polymerization and low enough to allow for ready removal if the polymer is recovered by solvent evaporation). The presence of the solvent assists in heat removal and control (as it also does for suspension and emulsion polymerization systems). Polymer yield per reaction volume is lower than for bulk reactions. Also, solvent recovery and removal (from the polymer) is necessary. Many free radical and ionic polymerizations are carried out utilizing solution polymerization including water-soluble polymers prepared in aqueous solution (namely poly(acrylic acid), polyacrylamide, and poly(A-vinylpyrrolidinone). Polystyrene, poly(methyl methacrylate), poly(vinyl chloride), and polybutadiene are prepared from organic solution polymerizations. 

Depending on the monomer, one needs to adjust the components of the system as well as reaction conditions so that radical concentrations are sufficiently low to effectively suppress normal termination. The less reactive monomers, such as ethylene, vinyl chloride, and vinyl acetate, have not been polymerized by ATRP. Acidic monomers such as acrylic acid are not polymerized because they interfere with the initiator by protonation of the ligands. The car-boxylate salts of acidic monomers are polymerized without difficulty. New ATRP initiators and catalysts together with modification of reaction conditions may broaden the range of polymerizable monomers in the future. 

These superabsorbents are synthesized via free radical polymerization of acrylic acid or its salts in presence of a crosslinker (crosslinking copolymerization). Initiators are commonly used, water-soluble compounds (e.g., peroxodi-sulfates, redox systems). As crosslinking comonomers bis-methacrylates or N,hT-methylenebis-(acrylamide) are mostly applied. The copolymerization can be carried out in aqueous solution (see Example 5-11 or as dispersion of aqueous drops in a hydrocarbon (inverse emulsion polymerization, see Sect. 2.2.4.2). 

First step (a) represents the initial system - solution of the poly(acrylic acid) (urea and formaldehyde are not shown). Then, growing macromolecules of urea-formaldehyde polymer recognize matrix molecules and associate with them forming polycomplex. This process leads to physical network formation and gelation of the system (step b). Further process is accompanied by polycomplex formation to the total saturation of the template molecules by the urea-formaldehyde polymer (step c). Chemical crosslinking makes the polycomplex insoluble and non-separable into the components. In the final step (c), fibrilar structure can be formed by further polycondensation of excess of urea and formaldehyde. 

Properties of composites obtained by template poly condensation of urea and formaldehyde in the presence of poly(acrylic acid) were described by Papisov et al. Products of template polycondensation obtained for 1 1 ratio of template to monomers are typical glasses, but elastic deformation up to 50% at 90°C is quite remarkable. This behavior is quite different from composites polyacrylic acid-urea-formaldehyde polymer obtained by conventional methods. Introduction of polyacrylic acid to the reacting system of urea-formaldehyde, even in a very small quantity (2-5%) leads to fibrilization of the product structure. Materials obtained have a high compressive strength (30-100 kg/cm ). Further polycondensation of the excess of urea and formaldehyde results in fibrillar structure composites. Structure and properties of such composites can be widely varied by changes in initial composition and reaction conditions. 

The last of the direct methods for graft initiation in liquid phase presented in this review involves chemical additives. Either free radical or ionic initiators can be chosen. Benzoyl peroxide is reported for grafting styrene on Nylon fibers in methanol media (71,105-107), as well as vinyl acetate (106). Azoisobutyro-nitrile has been employed in systems where the graft monomer is styrene (71,106) or vinyl acetate (106). Redox systems involving hydrogen peroxide and monomers like styrene (106,108,109). vinyl acetate (106), acrylic acid (108,109), methyl... 

Hart and de Pauw 98) used this emulsion technique on the system vinyl acetate-acrylic acid. It is well known that the copolymerization parameters rx and r2 are unfavorable in this system therefore the relative solubility of the two monomers exerces only a small influence on the composition of both sequences. The degree of homogeneity of the sequences has been evaluated, after alkaline hydrolysis, by measuring the tendency to lactonization in acid medium. While 72% of the acetate groups could be lactonized in the case of a random copolymer containing 37% vinyl acetate, only 14% are transformed in a block copolymer with the same initial composition. 

Abstract. Water-soluble polymers of acrylamide and acrylic acid with high extent ( 90%) of Ceo consumption are obtained by technique of low-temperature radiation living radical polymerization. In absorption spectra of these copolymers one can see gradually descended unstructured absorption in the range 240-700 mn, characteristic for fullerene covalent-bound or its klasters. The way of radiation initiation is used to obtain the products of high purity, because it is not necessary to embed into the system any initiators or catalyst. Latter is very important in the case of synthesis of polymers for medical purposes. Also at radiation initiation a rate of initiation reaction does not depend on the temperature and the sterilization of products takes place simultaneously. 

Low concentrations of S02 and TBHP were used to initiate the polymerization of MMA and other vinyl monomers. DPPH and hydroquinone do not inhibit this MMA polymerization. End-group analysis indicates the incorporation of sulfonate and hydroxyl end groups in the polymers, and copolymerization results (MMA-isoprene and MMA-acrylic acid) with this S02-TBHP initiator system and AIBN are in good agreement. The over-all polymerization appears to be primarily radical in nature. Inert solvents (benzene, toluene, and xylene) enhance the rate of polymerization of MMA but not of other vinyl monomers (AN, Sty, V A, EM A, MA, etc.). An initiation mechanism involving monomer and solvent appears to be predominant in the case of MMA, while with other monomers an initiation reaction involving only the monomer is predominant. 

Copolymerization. Copolymerization of MMA (Mi) with both iso-prene and acrylic acid (M2) was carried out using both the TBHP-SOo system and azobisisobutyronitrile (AIBN) as the initiator, and the com-... 

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