Synthesis and Characterization of Poly (Methyl Methacrylate)/Polyethylenimine Grafting Core-Shell Nanoparticles for CO&amp;lt;sub&amp;gt;2&amp;lt;/sub&amp;gt; Adsorption Using Soap-Free Emulsion Copolymerization

Jun-Won Kook,Jun-Young Lee,Ki Seob Hwang,Jung Hyun Kim,Ji Young Lee,In Park

doi:10.4236/ampc.2016.67022

Abstract

Unlike previous emulsion polymerization, we used grafting reactions in soap-free emulsion systems. In this study, we synthesized grafted PMMA/PEI core-shell nanoparticles by varying the MMA/PEI content and molecular weight of PEI (Mn = 600, 8000, and 10,000). The size and morphology of the core-shell nanoparticles were characterized by a particle size analyzer and scanning electron microscopy. The nanoparticles were 178 - 408 nm in diameter and swelled in water or methanol by 30 - 75 nm. The size of the nanoparticles increased with MMA contents, whereas the size distribution progressively became homogeneous with increasing molecular weight of PEI. Lastly, we measured CO2 adsorption capacity of the grafted PMMA/PEI core-shell nanoparticles, and we found the capacity to be limited at a level of 0.69 mg, which occurred for nanoparticles prepared from emulsions at a pH value of 11.

Highlights

Research on storage and capture of gaseous carbon dioxide (CO2), which is a known cause of global warming, has been going on for decades [1] [2]
Mechanism of Synthesis of PMMA/PEI Grafting Core-Shell Nanoparticles Figure 1 shows a schematic flowchart of reactions that produces grafting of PMMA/PEI for the synthesis of coreshell nanoparticles
Micelle-type nuclei are formed through the grafting reactions between PEI and methyl methacrylate (MMA), and these nuclei grow spontaneously through homopolymerization of MMA and self-assembly, resulting in nanoparticles with a core-shell structure

Summary

Introduction

Research on storage and capture of gaseous carbon dioxide (CO2), which is a known cause of global warming, has been going on for decades [1] [2]. Core-shell nanoparticles, which have both hydrophilic and hydrophobic properties, can be prepared by diverse methods and mechanisms allowing simplified incorporation of many functional constituents Depending on their characteristics, these nanoparticles can be applied to a variety of areas, such as chemical sensors [16] [17], coatings [18], and catalysts [19], in addition to a number of biological applications including biological separation, drug/DNA delivery, gene therapy, enzyme immobilization, and catalysis. Li et al studied the mechanisms for preparing macromolecules with core-shell structures using MMA and amine-containing water-soluble materials, such as casein, PEI, chitosan, gelatin, poly(allylamine), polyvinylpyrolidone, and poly(vinylamine) [20] [21] These particles were experimented for gene delivery and intracellular transmission. Research to link impregnated PEI to porous materials more effectively is important

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