INTERPOLYMER ASSOCIATION OF ACRYLAMIDE COPOLYMERS WITH POLY(ETHYLENEIMINE): STABILITY,THERMODYNAMIC PARAMETERS,AND THEIR CORRELATION WITH THE COPOLYMER MICROSTRUCTURE

Acrylamide/vinyl acetate and acrylamide/vinyl propionate copolymers were prepared by solution polymerization using benzoyl peroxide as the initiator. The copolymer composition was determined from the percent nitrogen in the copolymers.

The stability constants and related thermodynamic parameters (e.g., ΔG°, ΔH°, and ΔS°,) of the interpolymer complexes with Poly(ethyleneimine) were determined by using Osada's method. These parameters have been correlated with the sequence distribution of monomer units in the copolymer chains which were obtained from ¹³C{¹H} NMR spectroscopy. The sequence distribution of the comonomer units in the copolymer chains influence the association between the copolymers and the polyelectrolyte which is reflected on the stability of the interpolymer complexes.