SYNTHESIS, CHARACTERIZATION, THERMAL PROPERTIES AND ANTIMICROBIAL ACTIVITY OF ACRYLIC COPOLYMERS DERIVED FROM 2,4-DICHLOROPHENYL ACRYLATE

Abstract

ABSTRACT Copolymer of monomer 2,4-dichlorophenylacrylate (2,4-DCPA) and methylmethacrylate (MMA) were synthesized with different monomer feed ratio using dimethylformamide (DMF) as a solvent and 2,2’-azobisisobutyronitrile (AIBN) as an initiator at 70 oC. The copolymers were characterized by IR-Spectroscopy and copolymer composition was determined with UV-Spectroscopy. The linearization method of Fineman Ross (F-R) and Kelen Tudos (K-T) were used to obtain the monomer reactivity ratios. Thermal analyses of polymer were carried out in nitrogen atmosphere thermal gravimetric analyses (TGA) and differential thermal analyses (DTA). The molecular weight and intrinsic viscosity were determined by vapor pressure osmometry (VPO). The homo and copolymers were tested for their antimicrobial properties against selected microorganisms. Key words: Copolymer / Thermal Analysis / Reactivity Ratio / Antimicrobial Activity INTRODUCTION Copolymer is the most successful and powerful method for effecting systematic change in polymer [1]. Phenyl acrylate polymers are relatively newly developed materials compared to the commercial polymer such as vinylics. Acrylate is considered as reactive monomers primarily because of the presence of aromatic ring [2]. Choudhary Veena and coworkers [3-5] prepared copolymer of methyl methacrylate (MMA) with a variety of vinyl monomers. Strum [6] reported about thirty eight ester useful as commercial bactericides and fungicides. Plunder and coworkers [7] synthesized acrylics ester, useful as biocides by reacting pentachloro phenol,