Synthesis of PBMA-<i>b</i>-PGMA Block Copolymers via ICAR ATRP and their Application in Polymer/Titanium Dioxide Hybrid Materials

Abstract

Well-defined functional block copolymers, polybutyl methacrylate-b-polyglycidyl methacrylate (PBMA-b-PGMA), were successfully synthesized via initiators for continuous activator regeneration atom transfer radical polymerization ( ICAR ATRP) with pentamethyldiethylene-triamine (PMDETA) as a ligand and copper bromide (CuBr2 ) as a catalyst with concentration of 500 ppm. The PBMA-b-PGMA grafted with titanium dioxide (TiO2 ) nanoparticles was obtained through the reaction between the epoxide on the PGMA segment and amine group on the surface of modified TiO2 nanoparticles. Results showed that the PBMA-b-PGMA block copolymer with about same length of PBMA and PGMA segment could get highest graft ratio and about 17%wt TiO2 nanoparticles were successfully grafted onto the PBMA-b-PGMA block copolymer. The sizes of the PBMA-b-PGMA grafted nanoparticles were about 74 nm in ethyl acetate. The PBMA-b-PGMA grafted TiO2 nanoparticles showed very good dispensability in organic solvent (e.g. ethyl acetate) and polymer matrix. Polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) containing 0.5%wt PBMA-b-PGMA grafted TiO2 nanoparticles showed strong absorption at about 300 nm and good transparency in visible region, which was attributed to good dispensability of PBMA-b-PGMA grafted TiO2 nanoparticles in PMMA matrix.