Oligomeric alkylpyridinium surfactants prepared via ATRP

Abstract

AbstractA series of oligomeric alkylpyridinium surfactants were prepared directly in aqueous media by atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) of a surfmer, 4- vinyl-N-dodecylpyridinium bromide, and their surface activities were examined in comparison with the surfmer. The resulting oligomers have narrow molecular weight distributions, with polydispersity indices in the range of 1.17-1.23. By using 2-morpholinoethyl 2-bromo-2-methylpropanoate as ATRP initiator, the molecular weight of oligomeric surfactants was characterized by 1H NMR and the results were close to those obtained from GPC analysis. It was found that critical micelle concentration (CMC) of the oligomeric alkylpyridinium surfactants shifted to lower concentrations with increasing degree of polymerization (DPn), and their γ-cmc values were smaller by about 4 to 8 mN/m than that of the corresponding surfmer. Among the series of surfactants, the oligomer with highest DPn showed the greatest efficiency in lowering the surface tension in aqueous solution.