Study on Structure and Performance of Starch and Styrene Graft Copolymer

[Objective] The paper was to study the structure and performance of starch and styrene graft copolymer. [Method] The microscopic structure of corn starch and styrene graft copolymer was analyzed by using infrared spectrum and scanning electron microscope, and the property of starch and styrene graft copoly- mer was confirmed through grinding experiment, tensile strength, water absorption rate, hot water resistance properties and enzymatic properties analysis. [Result] The starch and styrene graft copolymer had the properties of thermoplastic and microbial degradation. IConclusion] The starch and styrene graft copolymer is expected to be developed as a biodegradable material.

GRAFT COPOLYMERIZATION OF VINYL MONOMERS ONTO STARCH INITIATED BY TRANSITION METAL-THIOUREA REDOX SYSTEMS

In this paper, the capabilities of grafting acrylonitrile (AN) onto starch initiated by Fe(III)-TU, V(V)-TU, Cr(VI)-TU, Mn(VII)-TU redox systems were compared in the presence of sulfuric acid of different concentrations. It was shown that the grafting capability of Mn(VII)-TU is the highest in these initiating systems. Using Mn (VII-TU as initiator, the effects of various acids (HClO4, H2SO4, HNO3, HCl) on the graft copolymerization of acrylonitrile onto starch were discussed, and the capabilities of graft copolymerization of methyl methacrylate (MMA), acrylamide (AM), acrylic acid (AA) onto starch were investigated. The experimental results show that the order of the influences of different acids is HClO4 > H2SO4 > HNO3 > HCl, and the order of grafting capabilities of different monomers grafted onto starch is MMA > AN > AM > AA. The structure and morphology of graft, copolymers were studied with infrared spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy. The size, shape and roughness of surface of the grafted starch granules are changed after grafting.

SYNTHESIS AND CHARACTERIZATION OF AMPHIPHILIC GRAFT COPOLYMER CONTAINING MICROPHASE SEPARATED AND LONG POLY(ETHYLENE OXIDE) SIDE CHAIN STRUCTURES

Acryloyl terminated Poly (ethyleneoxide)macromonomers (PEO-A) with different PEO chain lengths have been prepared by deactivation of PEO alkoxide with acryloyl chloride. A new kind of amphiphilic polystyrene-g-poly (ethylene oxide)graft copolymer containing both microphase separated and PEO side chain structures has been synthesized from radical copolymerization of PEO-A macromonomer with styrene. After careful purification by a newly-developed method called 'selective dissolution', the well-defined structure of the purified copolymers was confirmed by IR, ~1H-NMR and GPC. Various experimental parameters controlling the copolymerization were studied in detail. The results indicated that the feed ratio of styrene to macromonomer(S/M) was the most important determining factor for the composition of the copolymers. A detailed 'comb- model' was proposed to describe the molecular structure of the graft copolymers. Finally, this amphiphilic graft copolymers may readily form microphase separated structures as clearly indicated by transmission electron microscopy.

MODIFICATION OF SILK FIBER via EMULSION GRAFT COPOLYMERIZATION WITH FLUOROACRYLATE

2,2,3,3,4,4,5,5-Octafluoropentyl acrylate was grafted onto silk fiber in a two-step heterogeneous system through the vinyl bonds of acryloyloxyethyl isocyanate modified on the silk.The grafted copolylner was analyzed by FTIR and WAXD,and the results revealed that the fluoroacrylate was successfully grafted onto silk fiber and the crystalline structure of silk fibroin withβ-sheet structure was not changed after graft copolymerization.The FT-IR corrected method was used to simulate the grafting yield onto sil...

SYNTHESIS OF GRAFT COPOLYMERS WITH POLYISOBUTYLENE BRANCH CHAINS

The copolymerization of 4-vinylbenzyl chloride （VBC） and vinyl acetate （VAC） was carried out in toluene at 75℃ via radical polymerization using 2,2＇-azo-bis-（isobutyronitrile） （AIBN） as an initiator. The random copolymers of poly（4-vinylbenzyl chloride-co-vinyl acetate） （P（VBC-co-VAC）） with number average molecular weight （Mn） from 2000 to 6900, relatively narrow molecular weight distribution （MWD, Mw/Mn ca. 2.0） and with different copolymer composition of 4-vinylbenzyl chloride （VBC） from 17 mol% to 62 mol% could be obtained. The P（VBC-co-VAC） copolymers with an average number of 7 to 13 initiating sites of benzyl chloride per macromolecule could be used for the cationic polymerization of isobutylene （IB）. The cationic polymerizations of IB were further conducted by using P（VBC-co-VAC） copolymers as macroinitiators in conjunction with TICl4 at -40℃ in CH2Cl2. The effects of VBC/TiCl4 （molar ratio） on monomer conversion, Mn and MWD of the resultant copolymers were investigated under 3 sets of conditions. It is found that P（VBC-co-VAC）-g-PIB copolymers with relatively narrow MWD （Mw/Mn ca. 2.0） and with terminal tert-chlorine functional groups in branched PIB chains could be successfully synthesized when VBC/TiCl4 （molar ratio） was set in the range from 0.10 to 1.12. The unimodal GPC curve of the P（VBC-co-VAC）-g-PIB copolymers by RI detector was almost in harmony with the GPC curve by UV detector. The TEM image of the P（VBC-co-VAC）-g-PIB copolymer stained by RuO indicated that the copolymer formed a two-phase morphology with P（VBC-co-VAC）-rich domains of 20-100 um in size tethered by PIB branch segments.

Graft Copolymerization of Ethyl Acrylate onto Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose Using Potassium Persulfate as Initiator

With potassium persulfate (KPS) as initiator, graft copolymerization of ethyl acrylate (EA) onto water-soluble hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC) was investigated in aqueous medium. Effects of monomer concentration, initiator concentration, matrix concentration, and reaction temperature on the percentage of grafting (G) and grafting efficiency (G_E) were studied. The results show that G and G_E values both increase with the the increase of EA concentration and KPS concentration; when raising HPMC concentration from 0.12 mmol/L to 0.47 mmol/L, G decreases, while G_E increases;and when raising reaction temperature from 50 ℃ to 65 ℃,G increases, but G_E decreases. In addition, the graft copolymers were characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectra and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) methods.

The Optimization of Synthesizing Graft Copolymer of Starch with Vinyl Monomers

The graft copolymerization of acrylamide （ AM ） / acrylic acid （ AA ） onto starch （ St- g-pAA and St-g-p（AA-co-AM） ） was carried out using an orthngonal test method. The combined effects of different reaction conditions on the water absorbency of the graft copolymers were optimized through mathematical statistical methods of range and square variance analysis. The maximum water absorbency was obtained when the ratio of dried starch to distilled water was 1 ： 8 （ w/w ）, the ratio of starch to monomer 1 ： 6 （ w/w ）, the initiator concentration 4.40 × 10^-3 mol/L, the crosslinker concentration 10.86 × 10^-2 mol/L, and the basicity to AA 0. 70（ mol/mol ）. Both the graft copolymers have an excellent water absorption capacity in distilled water aact in 0. 9wt% NaCl solution. It was also found that in distilled water the water absorbency of St-g-pAA was higher than that of St-g-p（ AA-co-AM） , while in 0.9wt% NaCl solution, the situation was just the reverse. The correlation between the water absorbeacy anct the nature of the solution anct the properties of the copolymers, which is related to the properties of the monomers, was discussed. The grafting of AA ancl AM onto starch was confirmed by the IR spectra of St-g-pAA and St-g-p（ AA-co-AM）.

SYNTHESIS AND CHARACTERIZATION OF GRAFT COPOLYMERS BASED ON POLY(p-PHENYLENE TEREPHTHALAMIDE) BACKBONE AND WELL-DEFINED POLYSTYRENE SIDE CHAINS

A novel dualfunctional monomer, 2-（2＇,2＇,6＇,6＇-tetramethyl-piperidinyl-1＇-oxy）methylbenzene-1,4-dioyl chloride hydrochloride, with two acid chloride groups for step-growth polymerization and a nitroxide group for the mediation of living radical polymerization was synthesized. It was first copolymerized with terephthaloyl chloride and p- phenylenediamine at a feed molar ratio of 1：3：4 in N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone containing 10 wt% calcium chloride at -10℃ to yield a poly（p-phenylene terephthalamide） based macroinitiator, which initiated radical polymerization of styrene at 125℃ to obtain a series of poly（p-phenylene terephthalamide）-g-polystyrenes. A combinatory analysis of proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, elementary analysis, thermogravimetry and gel permeation chromatography indicated that the macroinitiator induced the radical polymerization of styrene to proceed in a well- controlled way. The molecular weight of side-chains increased with an increase of monomer conversion, and the molecular weight distribution index remained lower than 1.5. The graft copolymers showed a remarkably improved solubility in N- methyl-2-pyrrolidone and much depressed crystallinity in bulk.

Graft copolymerization of cellulose and 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate in an ionic liquid

Dissolution and homogeneous graft copolymerization of cellulose were performed in an ionic liquid 1-allyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride （AmimCl） with 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate. The synthesized AmimCl and cellulose graft copolymers were characterized by FTIR, ^1 H-NMR and XRD spectroscopy. The results show that AmimCl dissolved cellulose directly by destroying intermolecular and intramolecular hydrogen bonds in cellulose and the crystalline form of cellulose was transformed from cellulose Ⅰ to cellulose Ⅱ after regeneration from AmimCl. The best synthetic condition of the cellulose-graft-P （2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate） was that cellulose 0.5 g, 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate 3.00 g and initiator ammonium persulfate 0.05 g reacted for 180 min at 60℃; the rate of grafting reached 77.3%.

THE EFFECTS OF MAGNETIC FIELD ON GRAFT COPOLYMERIZATION OF METHYL METHACRYLATE ONTO POLYVINYL ALCOHOL IN THE PRESENCE OF BENZOPHENONE DURING UV IRRADIATION

The effects of magnetic field on the graft ratio and stereoregularity of grafts of PVA-g-MMA in the presence ofbenzophenone during UV irradiation are discussed. By means of IR, it was found that the graft ratio was increased with the increment of magnetic field strength. Furthermore, application of relative weak magnetic field of 0.4 Tesla had been shown to substantially enhance the stereo-regularity of graft copolymer. The maximum stereo-regularity appeared when the graft ratio approached to 85% with the magnetic field of 1.2 Tesla (T). The resistance to moisture and heat resistance of the grafted copolymer in the presence of magnetic field were also improved.

Graft Copolymerization of Modified Oxidized Starch and Its ER Effect

To enhance the polarization of starch, the oxidized starch-BA-MAA-Gd copolymer was synthesized by radical graft copolymerization. The structure of the graft copolymer was determined by IR, scanning electron microscopy, state thermal analysis and X-ray diffraction. The electrorheological properties of the graft copolymer were also investigated. The results show that shear stress increases with the increase of the graft copolymer loadings and the electric field intensity.

SYNTHESIS AND CHARACTERIZATION OF REACTIVE GRAFT COPOLYMER PDMS-g-(PEO-OH)

A new reactive graft copolymer, poly (dimethyl siloxane)-graft-omega-hydroxyl-poly (ethylene oxide) (PDMS-g-(PEO-OH)), was synthesized by the hydrosilylation reaction of alpha, omega-bifunctional PEO macromonomer (CH2=CH-CH2-PEO-OH) with poly (hydromethylsiloxane) (PHMS). The obtained copolymer, exhibited the expected comblike structure as indicated by the result of detailed characterization and the needed reactivity as demonstrated by the result of esterification between PDMS-g-(PEO-OH) and aminoacetic acid. This reactive graft copolymer is expected to be very useful in the preparation of new bioactive polymer materials.

SYNTHESIS OF AN AMPHIPHILIC PPESK-g-P(PEGMA)GRAFT COPOLYMER VIA ATRP AND ITS USE IN BLEND MODIFICATION OF PPESK MEMBRANES

Preparation of an amphiphilic graft copolymer having poly(phthalazinone ether sulfone ketone)(PPESK) as main chains was carried out by atom transfer radical polymerization(ATRP).The precursor,chloromethylated PPESK (CMPPESK),was prepared by using chioromethylether as chloromethylation agent.Then,poly(ethylene glycol) methyl ether methacrylate(PEGMA) was used as monomer to synthesize PPESK-g-P(PEGMA) by ATRP method under the catalysis of a cuprous chloride/2,2'-bipyridyl system.PPESK/PPESK-g-P(PEGMA) blend m...

Design and comparative in-vitro and in-vivo evaluation of starch-acrylate graft copolymer based salbutamol sulphate sustained release tablets

The present work deals with the development of controlled release tablets of salbutamol sulphate(SS)using graft copolymers of methyl methacrylate(St-g-PMMA and Ast-g-PMMA)on starch and acetylated starch.Formulations were evaluated for physical characteristics like hardness,friability,drug release,drug content and weight variations,which fulfilled all the official requirements of tablet dosage form.The release rates from formulated matrix tablets were studied at SGF(pH 1.2)followed by SIF(pH 6.8).Drug release from the graft copolymer based tablets was found to be sustained upto the 14 h with>75%drug release.The in-vitro release study showed that the graft copolymer based matrix formulations(F3&F4)exhibited highest correlation value(r2)for higuchi kinetic model and Korsmeyer's model with n values between 0.61 and 0.67 proved that release mechanisms were governed by both diffusion and erosion mechanism.There was no significant difference in the pharmacokinetic parameters(tmax,Cmax,AUC,Ke,and t1/2)of the graft copolymers matrices and HPMC K100M matrix tablets,indicating their comparable sustained release effect.The potential of graft copolymers to sustain the drug release is well supported by in-vivo pharmacokinetic studies and their adequate physicochemical properties make them promising excipients for controlled drug delivery system.

CHARACTERIZATION OF AMPHIPHILIC AND MICROPHASE SEPARATED GRAFT COPOLYMERS Ⅱ SURFACE CHARACTERIZATION AND IN VITRO BLOOD-COMPATIBILITY ASSESSMENT OF POLYSTYRENE-GRAFT-ω-STEARYLPOLY (ETHYLENE OXIDE)

This paper reported the research results concerning the surface characterization ofpolystyrene-graft-w-stearyl poly(ethylene oxide) (PS-g-SPEO) by means of XPS,contactangle measurement and TEM, and its in vitro blood compatibility assessment by measuringthe plasma recalcification time (RT) and partial thromboplastin time (PTT). The XPSresults demonstrated that the surface and bulk composition of the PS-g-SPEO graftcopolymers differ remarkably from each other,and that SPEO component was constantlyenriched at the copolymer/air interface. Contact angle studies indicated that the surfacewater wettability can be adjusted effectively by changing the composition of the copolymer.PS-g-SPEO graft copolymers can undergo microphase separation as clearly illustrated byTEM photographs. The relationship between the surface properties of PS-g-SPEO graftcopolymer and its blood compatibility was also discussed.

Studies on the Graft Copolymerization of Methyl Acrylate and Ethyl Acrylate onto Corn Starch Using Potassium Persulfate-Sodium Thiosulphatc as Initiation System

Grafting copolymerizations of methyl acrylate(MA) and ethyl acrylate(EA) onto corn starch, respectively, initiated by potassium persulfate-sodium thiosulphate (KPS-STS) redox system, were studied. The structures of poly(MA)-g-starch and poly(EA)-g-starch were characterized by IR, SEM and X-ray diffraction. Experimental results show that KPS-STS is an efficient initiation system for grafting of MA and EA onto corn starch. The maximum percent grafting was obtained at [KPS] of 6.0× 10~3 mol/L, [STS] of 1.8× 10 5 mol/L, [M] of 6. 0× 101 mol/L, S:L=4:100 at 40℃ for 6 h. The reactivity order is MA>EA.

Synthesis, Purification and Characterization of Amphiphilic and Microphase Separated Graft Copolymer Polystyrene-g-Poly(ethylene oxide)

The present paper covers the poly (ethylene oxide) macromer with vinyl benzyl terminal group (PEO-VB) prepared by deactivation of the alkoxide function of mono-functional 'living' PEO chains with vinyl benzyl chloride (VBC). The obtained macromers were subjected to careful purification and detailed characterization. A new kind of amphiphilic polystyrene-g-poly(ethylene oxide) (PS-g-PEO) with both mi-crophase separated and PEO side chains was synthesized from radical copolymerization of PEO-VB macromer with styrene monomer. An improved purification method, referred as 'selective dissolvation', was established for the isolation of graft copolymers from the grafting products, and the purity and yield of the purified copolymers were satisfactory. The well-defined structure of the purified copolymers was confirmed by IR, 1H NMR and GPC. The bulk composition of the graft copolymers was determined by a well-established first derivative UV spectrometry. Various experimental parameters controlling the copolymerization were also studied. The results indicate that the feed ratio of macromer to styrene (M/S) was the most important factor in determining the composition of the copolymers. Thus a series of PS-g-PEO with a wide range of bulk compositions were obtained simply by adjusting the value of M/S. As clearly indicated by transmission electron microscopy, this amphiphilic graft copolymers may readily form microphase separated structures.

Preparation of superabsorbent by graft copolymerization of acrylic acid onto corn starch using K_2S_2O_8 and rare earths as initiators

K2 S2 O8 and rare earths （RE） were used as initiators to prepare superabsorbents by graft copolymerization of acrylic acid （ AA ） onto corn starch. The effects of monomer concentration, initiator K2 S2 O8 concentration, cross-linker concentration, reaction temperature and the concentration ratio of RE and K2 S2O8 on the graft copolymerization were studied in terms of the water absorption capacity of superabsorbents. Results indicate that the optimum conditions obtained for the grafting of AA onto 5g starch are as follows： AA of 75. 773 g/L, K2S20s of 0. 437 g/L, RE of 0. 874 g/L, cross-linker of 0. 381 g/L and temperature of 70 ℃. The maximum water absorption capacity obtained is 740 g/g. The new method of graft polymerization is easily proceeded and controlled. The graft copolymers were characterized by infra-red spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy and TG. Results characterized by IR and SEM give strong evidence for grafting of AA onto corn starch, and those characterized by TG reveal that the grafting of AA improves the theimostability of corn starch.

Modification of Natural Rubber Latex by Graft Copolymerization of 2-Ethylhexyl Acrylate and Methacrylic Acid

Natural rubber(NR)grafted with 2-ethylhexyl acrylate(2-EHA)and methacrylic acid(MAA,collectively NR-g-PEHA/MAA)was synthesized by emulsion polymerization.Tetraethylenepentamine and cumene hydroperoxide were used as redox initiators.The successful grafting of 2-EHA and MAA onto NR was confirmed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy.The morphology of the NR latex particles was observed by transmission electron microscopy.The effects of reaction temperature,initiator dosage,feeding mode,and hard monomer content on the mechanical properties of the modified NR film were investigated.Grafted polymer chains were unevenly wrapped on the outside of NR particles,and smaller particles were more easily grafted.Crosslinking was characterized using a toluene swelling method.Thermal stability and glass transition temperature were examined by differential scanning calorimetry and thermogravimetric analysis.The results showed that the thermal stability of NR-g-PEHA/MAA had been improved,and the glass transition temperature(Tg)was unchanged.

Starch Modification by Graft Copolymerization of Acrylonitrile

The graft copolymerization of acrylonitrile (AN) onto starch under the initiation of potassium permanganate was investigated. The effect of various reaction conditions on the graft copolymerization was studied. The relationships between the grafting rate and the initiator concentration of potassium permanganate, monomer acrylonitrile and backbone starch, as well as reaction temperature were established. The oxidation reaction of starch with manganic ions and valence changes of manganic ions during the graft copolymerization were discussed. The results show that manganic ion Mn 7+ underwent a series of valence changes during the graft copolymerization: Mn(Ⅶ) → Mn(Ⅳ) → Mn(Ⅲ) → Mn(Ⅱ). The grafting rate of the graft copolymerization of acrylonitrile onto starch is also given.