Ethylene acrylic acid copolymer, chemical structure

One way to achieve compatibilization involves physical processes such as shear mixing and thermal history, which modify domain size and shape. The second way is the use of physical additives to increase attraction between molecules and phases. The third method is reactive processing, which is used to change the chemical structure of one or more of the components in the blend and thus increase their attraction to each other. Table 1.5 contains a list of compatibilizers used in the formulation of polyolefin blends. As can be seen from Table 1.5, most of the compatibilizers used in the formulation of polyolefin blends contain compounds such as maleic anhydride, acrylic and methacrylic acid, glycidyl methacrylate, and diblock and triblock copolymers involving styrene, ethylene, and butadiene. 

Fig. 2. Chemical structures of a typical phospholipid (phosphatidylcholine), a glycolipid (galactocerebroside), and two vesicle-forming block copolymers, poly(butadiene-6-ethylene oxide) and poly(styrene-6-acrylic acid.) The grey region indicates the hydrophobic interior of the bilayer.

This assembly chemistry is only limited by the preparation of an appropriate amphiphilic or hydrophobic diblock copolymer. With the structure and chemical composition of the resultant nanoparticles readily tunable using a wide range of block copolymers that are synthetically available. A broad range of polymers have been utilized as the core hydrophobic domain of shell-crosslinked nanoparticles and include styrene, isoprene, butadiene, caprolactone, poly (ethylene oxide), acrylates, methacrylate and acrylamides. Monomers that have been used to prepare the hydrophilic water-soluble domain include, among others, poly(ethylene glycol), acrylic acid, 4-vinylpyridine, (meth)acrylic acid, 2-dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate and Wisopropylacrylamide. 

Acrylics. Acetone is converted via the intermediate acetone cyanohydrin to the monomer methyl methacrylate (MMA) [80-62-6]. The MMA is polymerized to poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) to make the familiar clear acrylic sheet. PMMA is also used in molding and extrusion powders. Hydrolysis of acetone cyanohydrin gives methacrylic acid (MAA), a monomer which goes direcdy into acrylic latexes, carboxylated styrene—butadiene polymers, or ethylene—MAA ionomers. As part of the methacrylic structure, acetone is found in the following major end use products acrylic sheet molding resins, impact modifiers and processing aids, acrylic film, ABS and polyester resin modifiers, surface coatings, acrylic lacquers, emulsion polymers, petroleum chemicals, and various copolymers (see Methacrylic acid and derivatives Methacrylic polymers). 

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