Modification of the Properties of Butyl Acrylate and Styrene Copolymer Films with Small Additives of Graphene Oxide

Effects of film structure on mechanical and adhesion properties of latex films

Amphiphilic copolymers of butyl acrylate (BA) and methyl methacrylate (MMA) with uniform polyoxyethylene (PEO) grafts were synthesized by the copolymerization of BA and MMA with a methacrylate‐terminated PEO macromer in benzene with azobisisobutyronitrile as an initiator. The effects of various copolymerization conditions on the grafting efficiency and molecular weight of the copolymers, as well as the effect of the copolymerization time on the conversions of the macromer and the monomers, were reported. The copolymers, with uniform PEO grafts, were purified by successive extractions with water and ether/acetone (3/7) to remove unreacted macromer and ungrafted copolymers of MMA and BA, respectively. The purified graft copolymers were characterized with IR, 1H‐NMR, membrane osmometry, gel permeation chromatography, and differential scanning calorimetry. The highest grafting efficiency was about 90%, and molecular weight of the copolymers varied around 105. The average grafting number of the copolymer was about 10. A study of the crystalline properties, emulsifying properties, phase‐transfer catalytic ability, and mechanical properties of the graft copolymers showed that the emulsifying volume decreased with the increasing molecular weight of the PEO grafts but increased with the PEO content. The conversion of potassium phenolate in the Williamson solid–liquid reaction obviously increased with an increasing PEO content of the graft copolymers. The crystallinity of the graft copolymers increased with the PEO content of the graft copolymers or the molecular weight of the macromer used. The copolymers, prepared under certain conditions, behaved as thermoplastic elastomers. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 89: 2982–2988, 2003

Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) is a hydrophobic and lipophilic polymer, and its electrospun mat has plenty of micro- and nanopores. However, the PVC electrospun mat cannot absorb organic substances due to its weak fiber-web structure. The copolymer of butyl methacrylate (BMA) and butyl acrylate (BA) has very good electrospinnability, and its electrospun fibers can construct a firm fiber-web structure through many bonded nodes. However, there are few micro- and nanopores in the fiber-web of the copolymer of BMA and BA since the electrospun fibers of the copolymer of BMA and BA can cohere with each other. Therefore, the copolymer of BMA and BA was blended with PVC in N,N-dimethylformamide to provide their electrospun fibrous mat with good fiber-web structure and many micro- and nanopores, and their electrospun fibrous mat was then used as an absorbent of organic substances in this work. We first discovered the electrospinnable concentrations for PVC solution, the solution of the copolymer of BMA and BA, and the blend solution of PVC and the copolymer of BMA and BA by researching the characteristics of these solutions, and we analyzed the effect of the electrospinnability of PVC in the blend solution on the formation of fiber-web structure. Then, the blend solution with an electrospinnable concentration was electrospun into fibrous mat, and its surface characteristics and absorption capability to organic matters were subsequently investigated. The correlation between absorption capability and fiber-web structure was analyzed through field emission scanning electron microscope. The result showed that the blend solution of PVC and the copolymer of BMA and BA had better electrospinnability in comparison with PVC solution, and the corresponding fibrous mat had a great potential application in removing organic matters since it owned better hydrophobic and lipophilic properties than the fibrous mat electrospun from PVC solution or the solution of the copolymer of BMA and BA.

Electrospun polystyrene materials have been employed as oil absorbents, but they have visible drawbacks such as poor strength at low temperature and unreliable integrity because of brittleness and insufficient cohesive force among fibers. Butyl acrylate can polymerize into flexible chains, and its polymer can be used as elastomer and adhesive material. Thereby it is possible to obtain the material that has better performance in comparison with electrospun polystyrene material through the electrospinning of the copolymer of styrene and butyl acrylate. In this work, a polymer was synthesized through suspension polymerization by using styrene and butyl acrylate as comonomers. The synthesis of the copolymer of styrene and butyl acrylate was verified through dissolution and hydrolysis experimental data; as well through nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometry. The viscous flow activation energy of the solution consisting of copolymer and N, N-dimethylformamide was determined via viscosity method and then adopted to establish the entanglement characteristics of butyl acrylate’s chain segments. Finally, in order to electrospin the copolymer solution into fibrous membrane, the effects of monomer feed ratio and spinning parameters were investigated. The prepared fibrous membrane was found to have a potential use as oil absorbent.

The internal stability of alluvial clays may be significantly compromised during a heavy rainfall due to infiltration of surface water causing sudden inundation, softening, and loss of erosion resistance or mechanical strength. Most of the available stabilization methods for clay soils employ pozzolanic or other cementitious binders, creating a chemically bound clay-admixture matrix. These admixtures commonly require a curing period after placement and compaction. Alternatively, aqueous polymers can be used in diluted form without any need for a curing period. Aqueous polymers can form agglomerations of clay particles enclosed in a matrix of polymer chains, held together by electrostatic and hydrogen bonding, improving erosion resistance. In this research, an aqueous polymer, namely, copolymer of butyl acrylate and styrene (CBAS), is mixed with alluvial clay sampled from Famagusta Bay, Cyprus, and the clay stability test is performed as a basis for assessing the degree of improvement on erosion resistance. A time-dependent approach for the evaluation of test results is followed to increase the accuracy of the analysis of the actual behavior observed during the test. A significant improvement in the erosion resistance is observed in treated test specimens. The mode of collapse of specimens during the clay soil stability test when aqueous polymer is used also changed from being gradual cracking and slaking to explosive. The swelling behavior and the effect of drying on the erosion resistance are also observed in the testing program. X-ray diffraction analysis and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy are performed for observation of the effect of CBAS on microstructural interactions, such as electrostatic bonding and changes in soil fabric.

Synthesis of polymer single-hole microjars and encapsulating amoxicillin for efficient antibacterial

Mucoadhesive polymers for the buccal delivery of peptides, structure-adhesiveness relationships

Di- and triblock copolymers of styrene and butyl acrylate with controlled molar masses (Mn up to ≈ 105) were sequentially prepared by radical atom transfer polymerization in a homogeneous medium using chlorine end capped polymers as initiators and the copper(I) chloride/bipyridine complex as catalyst, in the presence of dimethylformamide. Random poly(styrene-co-butyl acrylate) was synthesized and the cross-over reactions between Cl end capped polystyrene and poly(butyl acrylate) to the opposite monomers were examined.

The volatile products of thermal degradation of copolymers of methyl methacrylate and butyl acrylate covering the entire composition range have been identified. 1‐Butene and carbon dioxide are the main gaseous products. Other products, methane, ethane, propane, butane, ethylene, propylene, cis and trans 2‐butene, hydrogen and carbon monoxide are also present in very small amounts which tend to increase with the butyl acrylate content of the copolymer. The liquid products are butanol, methyl methacrylate, butyl acrylate and butyl methacrylate.Products have been estimated quantitatively for all the copolymers at intervals during the course of the reaction and detailed mass balance tables drawn up.The yields of carbon dioxide and 1‐butene and the molar ratio of carbon dioxide to 1‐butene all increase with increasing acrylate content of the copolymer. Methyl methacrylate is the only liquid product from high methacrylate copolymers. Butyl acrylate and methacrylate begin to appear in 16,3 mole‐% butyl acrylate copolymer although butanol is still absent. From high acrylate copolymers butanol is the only liquid product.

We present the results of studies aimed at designing environmentally friendly technologies for printing and final finishing of textile materials. The technologies are based on the specific properties of carboxylated acrylic copolymers that can increase the viscosity in an alkaline medium. The obvious connection between negative changes in nature and the anthropogenic impact of industrial plants on the environment has raised general concerns, and requires solving a number of problems involved in the indicated issue. The negative impact of industrial activity on natural processes and living organisms is due not only to its wasteful management but also to shortcomings in the production processes employed [1]. Within the broad range of sectors in the national economy, the textile industry makes an appreciable contribution to environmental pollution and pollution of water and air basins. Considering this fact, improving processes in dyeing-and-finishing departments and designing environmentally friendly technologies for finishing textile materials is a timely and important direction in solving the important problem of reducing the level of toxicological and ecological stress on the environment and designing environmentally friendly textiles meeting international safety and quality standards. In this paper, we present the results of studies to develop environmentally friendly printing and final finishing using acrylic latexes and water-soluble copolymers of domestic manufacture (Nord Sintez LLC). In this case, improvement of the environmental situation is achieved as a result of the following: – using few-component pigment compositions, not containing toxic crosslinking agents; – improving the degree of utilization of reactive dyes and reducing their desorption during washing of printed material, with a corresponding decrease in their input into wastewaters from the dye-and-finishing plant; – designing low-formaldehyde and formaldehyde-free coupling agents, ensuring permanence and high resistance of the effects of final finishing to organic solvents. In the first step, we evaluated the properties of aqueous dispersions of acrylic and styrene-acrylic latexes of domestic manufacture, with the objective of using them as binders in the composition of pigment printing inks. The acrylic latex recommended for use is a copolymer of butyl acrylate, methyl methacrylate, acrylonitrile, and acrylic acids with the optimal ratio of “hard” and “soft” monomer units in the macromolecular chain, which ensures the needed combination of strength and elasticity of the polymer film. Such films are distinguished by high weathering resistance and form coatings that do not yellow over time, in contrast to films based on diene structures which tend to oxidize [2]. We established that an aqueous dispersion of acrylic carboxyl-containing latex MN-10 has low surface tension (36.7 mN/m), comparable with its value for divinyl nitrile latexes BNK 40/4 and BNK 20/35 (respectively 38.4 and 33.1 mN/m). The effective wettability and penetration of cellulose-containing fabrics by printing compositions based on this latex promotes stronger fixation of the pigment particles to the fiber substrate. The light scattering method has shown (Fig. 1) that the average size of MN-10 latex globules is not more than 100 nm, which is responsible for the high degree of homogeneity of the films and their stronger fixation to the polymer substrate [3].

Poly(methyl acrylate) and amphiphilic copolymer of butyl acrylate and acrylic acid were prepared in the presence of 1,1-diphenylethene (DPE) by γ-irradiation-induced polymerization. The influences of polymerization time, amounts of DPE in system on conversion, molecular weight (MW), and its distribution (Mw/Mn) were studied. The results indicate that the polymerization in the presence of DPE and initiated by γ-irradiation shows the character of controlled radical reaction. The prepared copolymer was used as the polymeric emulsifier in the emulsion polymerizations of butyl acrylate (BA) and styrene (St), respectively, to assess the possibility of making monodisperse latices of relatively high solids content (∼ 35–45%) in an one-step batch process. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 2007

Laccase immobilization on copolymer of butyl acrylate and ethylene glycol dimethacrylate

Functional spontaneous gradient copolymers of allyl methacrylate (A) and butyl acrylate (B) were synthesized via atom transfer radical polymerization. The copolymerization reactions were carried out in toluene solutions at 100 °C with methyl 2‐bromopropionate as the initiator and copper bromide with N,N,N′,N″,N″‐pentamethyldiethylenetriamine as the catalyst system. Different aspects of the statistical reaction copolymerizations, such as the kinetic behavior, crosslinking density, and gel fraction, were studied. The gel data were compared with Flory's gelation theory, and the sol fractions of the synthesized copolymers were characterized by size exclusion chromatography and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. The copolymer composition, demonstrating the gradient character of the copolymers, and the microstructure were analyzed. The experimental data agreed well with data calculated with the Mayo–Lewis terminal model and Bernoullian statistics, with monomer reactivity ratios of 2.58 ± 0.37 and 0.51 ± 0.05 for A and B, respectively, an isotacticity parameter for A of 0.24, and a coisotacticity parameter of 0.33. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 44: 5304–5315, 2006

Water borne latexes of styrene (St) and butyl acrylate (BA) copolymer, modified with octamethylcyclotetrasiloxane (D4) were prepared through a semi-continuous emulsion polymerization with dodecylbenzene sulfonic acid (DBSA) as the catalyst for D4 ring-opening and ammonium persulfate (APS) as the initiator for St-BA polymerization. To enhance the compatibility of the silicone with St-BA copolymer by establishing chemical bonds between the two components, 3-(methacryloxy) propyl trimethoxysilane (MPTS) or hydroxyethyl acrylate (HEA) was employed as the coupling agents. The effect of DBSA location at start of emulsion polymerization was studied. It was found that more stable latex was obtained when DBSA was initially added in the reactor in comparison with its addition to the preemulsion followed by slow feeding to the reactor. HEA was also an effective coupling agent to improve the properties of the latex and the latex film. In addition, the influences of the amounts of APS, the catalyst DBSA, and D4 on the latex properties were studied. The process was optimized with regard to the ingredients used in the polymerization. To achieve stable latex with good latex film properties, APS amount should be kept between 0.18 and 0.28 wt.%, D4 monomer no more than 8 wt.% relative to the mass of all vinyl monomers, and the molar ratio of MPTS/D4 is recommended to be 1/4. With HEA as the coupling agent, its amount should be 6.6 wt.% relative to the mass of D4. The mechanical property of the latex film and its water absorption were also characterized.

Surface composition of coalesced acrylic latex films studied by XPS and SIMS