Abstract
A purification procedure of polymethacrylamide (PMAm) based on the urea feature of being a powerful Hbond breaker is proposed here. Polymethacrylamide was synthesized in water and the final product presents itself as an insoluble gel what is an obstacle to purification. This physical gel, kept together by numerous interchain H-bonds between amide groups in the polymer, is dismantle by a urea solution (4 mol.L-1) making the polymer soluble. Methanol is then used to precipitate the polymer, keeping urea, water and methacrylamide in the methanolic phase. FTIR, TGA, GPC and HPLC were used to characterize the final product and to prove the efficiency and convenience of this method. The procedure proposed here has presented a good recovery of the polymer and can be considered more convenient, less time-consuming and efficient than others such as dialysis. Keywords: Physical Gel, Polymethacrylamide, Polymer Purification, Urea.
Highlights
Hydrogels are gaining attention due to their use as contaminant removers, bioimplants and other contemporary applications [1-2]
Polymethacrylamide was synthesized in water and the final product presents itself as an insoluble gel what is an obstacle to purification
The procedure proposed here has presented a good recovery of the polymer and can be considered more convenient, less time-consuming and efficient than others such as dialysis
Summary
Hydrogels are gaining attention due to their use as contaminant removers, bioimplants and other contemporary applications [1-2]. The forces that hold the hydrogel together can be non-covalent, such as hydrogen bonding, in this case the material is called a physical hydrogel [2]. On the other hand, present crosslinks considered not reversible, so that, once formed, the gel becomes insoluble in any solvent [2]. Polymethacrylamide is a polymer that forms hydrogels kept together by H-bonds between amide groups. Copolymers of polymethacrylamide have been used in many fields, such as water decontamination [3]. Some polymethacrylamide derivatives present low toxicity and have been proposed to be used in vivo [4]. Their monomers, methacrylamide included, are quite toxic [5]
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