Atom Transfer Radical Polymerization of Glycidyl Methacrylate (GMA) in Emulsion

Abstract

This investigation reports atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) of glycidyl methacrylate (GMA) and its copolymerization with butyl methacrylate (BMA) in emulsion. Poly(glycidyl methacrylate) (PGMA) was prepared in emulsion using copper bromide (CuBr) as catalyst in combination with 2,2′-bypyridine (bpy) as ligand and methyl 2-bromopropionate (MBrP) as initiator. Different surfactants of Triton series (such as Triton X-100, Triton X-405) were used as emulsifier in these cases. The copolymerization of GMA with BMA was also performed successfully in emulsion via ATRP using the same reaction conditions used for the preparation of PGMA. The stability of the latexes prepared via emulsion ATRP was examined. TEM analysis was carried out to examine the particles sizes of polymer in the latex. Molecular weights and molecular weight distributions of the polymers were determined by GPC analysis. The FT-IR and 1H-NMR analyses indicated that the pendant glycidyl group of PGMA was unaffected during emulsion ATRP. Thermal stability of the polymer was evaluated by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). Copolymer composition in the copolymer was calculated from the 1H-NMR analysis.