Peculiar swelling properties of PVC films grafted with acrylic and methacrylic acids

It was found that PVC films grafted with methacrylic acid do not swell in either water or methanol, two solvents of poly(methacrylic acid), even for high grafting ratios. The swelling of these films was examined in mixtures of methylene chloride with methanol and curves of different shapes were obtained depending on the grafting ratio. PVC films grafted with acrylic acid readily swell in both water and methanol but they remain hard in the swollen state. The equilibrium swelling increases with swelling temperature but this process is not reversible; films swollen at high temperature keep a high degree of swelling even when the system is cooled.     

Greffage de l'acide methacrylique sur des films de poly(chlorure de vinyle) par la methode radiochimique directe

Since PVC films do not swell in pure methacrylic acid (MAA) the films were subjected to gamma-rays while dipped in various mixtures MAACHCl₂. Under such conditions, the grafting proceeds smoothly and its rate exhibits a flat maximum for the mixture containing ca. 50% (molar) monomer. The rate satisfies the relationship Rate = KI^0.6 and the over-all activation energy of the process is 4 kcal/mole. MAA grafted PVC films do not swell in solvents for PMAA (such as water or methanol) even for high grafting ratios. This result is unexpected since PTFE films grafted with either acrylic or methacrylic acid swell to a large extent in water and are excellent membranes. The swelling of the grafted PVC films was investigated in mixtures 1,2-dichloroethylene -methanol. It was found that the extent of swelling was highest in the mixture containing 35% methanol. The unusual swelling properties of these grafted films are attributed to strong polar interactions between PVC and PMAA chains.     

Greffage radiochimique de l'acide methacrylique sur des films de polytetrafluoroethylene

Methacrylic acid was grafted into the bulk of PTFE films 50 μm thick by irradiating the films in aqueous solutions of monomer containing CuCl₂. The influences of radiation dose-rate and of temperature were investigated. The swelling of the grafted films was studied in the following solvents for the grafted branches: water, methanol, DMF and their mixtures. In each case the molar ratios corresponding to the limiting swelling were determined. It was further found that the grafted films swell in carboxylic acids such as methacrylic, acrylic and acetic acids, which are non-solvents for the grafted branches. This swelling is much slower than the swelling in good solvents. It is suggested that it results from a molecular association of the carboxyl groups of the solvent with those of the polymer.     

Preparation de membranes hydrophiles obtenues par le greffage de la n-vinylpyrrolidone dans le poly(chlorure de vinyle)

PVC films were radiation-grafted in NVP-methanol solutions. Unusual kinetics relations were observed: an increase in monomer concentration or in temperature decreased the reaction rate. These effects are attributed to a higher mobility of the growing chains leading to faster chain termination and resulting in a drop of the overall rate and shortening of grafted chains. The graft copolymers swell homogeneously in water and in methanol. The swelling rate and limiting swelling ratio increase linearly with the grafting ratio. The swelling ratio was found to depend on chain length, being higher for short chains. An irreversible increase of the swelling ratio was found by raising the temperature. These unusual swelling properties of the grafted films are attributed to strong interactions between pyrrolidone groups and the Cl atoms of the PVC.     

Preparation de membranes mosaiques par greffage radiochimique dans des films de polytetrafluoroethylene

Mosaic membranes were prepared by two successive grafting steps of acrylic acid and 4-vinyl-pyridine into well localized domains of polytetrafluoroethylene films. The films were subjected to X-rays through a grid-shaped shield which activated linear zones of the film 0.5 mm wide, separated by 0.5 mm of unactivated film. The films were then grafted with acrylic acid, neutralized and subjected to a second irradiation through a shield which protected the grafted zones. 4-Vinylpyridine was then grafted into the stripes left unchanged after the first treatment. The following properties of the resulting mosaic membranes were examined: swelling in water, electric conductivity and ion-pair diffusion. The coefficients of ion-pair diffusion were found to be 100–1000 times higher for the mosaic membranes than for carboxylic membranes of the same grafting ratio.     

Modification irréversible de la morphologie de films de poly(chlorure de vinyle) greffés d'acide acrylique sous l'action de solvants et de la température

PVC films grafted with acrylic acid were prepared with grafting ratios as high as 160% and their swelling in N/10 KOH, was measured. An earlier observation was confirmed showing that, when the films are heated in the swollen state, they undergo an irreversible transformation which leads to an increase of their swelling ratio. A study with scanning and transmission electron microscopes showed that rigid PVC as well as PVC grafted with acrylic acid up to 27% did not exhibit any specific microstructure. At high magnifications, fibrils characteristic of fragile fractures clearly appeared on the SEM pictures. For grafting ratios of 67% or more, segregated microphases of PVC and poly(acrylic acid) are clearly seen. The size of these microphases increases after the grafted films are swollen in KOH at 60°. A systematic study with PVC films grafted to 160% showed a steady evolution of the size of the microdomains during swelling in KOH. The results explain the variations of a macroscopic property of the film (its extent of swelling) by a modification of their microstructure.     

Relations entre la structure et les proprietes des membranes de polytetrafluoroethylene greffe—III. Membranes non-ionisables contenant de la poly-n-vinylpyrrolidone

Equilibrium properties (swelling) and transport phenomena (dialysis) of non-ionizable membranes, obtained by radiation grafting of N-vinylpyrrolidone onto thin PTFE films, were studied. Grafting was conducted by the direct method with monomer solutions in benzene. The overall activation energy of grafting determined between 20 and 50° is high (12.5 kcal mol^?1): the reaction is controlled by the monomer diffusion into PTFE film. The length of grafted chains increases with temperature.The molality of the membranes decreases when the temperature of grafting increases; for a given grafting ratio, the swelling is higher for membranes containing a small number of long grafts than for membranes with numerous short branches. The transfer of both ions and water is a function of the free volume in the films, it depends on the grafting ratio and is not influenced by the preparation conditions.     

Relations entre la structure et les proprietes des membranes de polytetrafluoroethylene greffe—I. Membranes monogreffees carboxyliques ou basiques

We have determined the equilibrium properties (neutralization and swelling and the transport properties: conductivity and dialysis) of hydrophilic membranes obtained by radiation grafting of acrylic acid or 4-vinylpyridine onto thin PTFE films. The presence of strong counter-ion-membrane interaction (PTFE-PAA-K⁺ and PTFE-P4VP-ClO^?₄) has been confirmed in the beginning of neutralization. The grafting ratios of the samples ranged between a few percent and several hundreds percent. The properties have been studied in connection with the average degrees of ionization and the average molalities of the reactive groups throughout the whole thickness of the membrane. The parameters of the synthesis which determine the structure of acid or basic grafted chains also have an influence on the properties of the resulting membranes. For a high dose-rate (> 100 rad min^?1), the properties of carboxylic membranes are related to the degree of cross-linking: for smaller dose rates, the properties are related to the length of the grafted branches and/or to the state of the skeleton of PTFE. For the basic membranes, the properties are controlled by the length of the grafted branches and the importance of the micro-phase-separation between PTFE and the grafted chains; for low dose rates, when the grafted branches are long, separation of hydrophobic and ionizable zones is noticed for grafting ratios higher than 5%. The carboxylic membranes with lower degrees of grafting, prepared with a high dose rate, exhibit very good permselectivity. The pyridinic membranes with a low degree of grafting could be of practical interest, viz. the manufacture of selective electrodes for perchlorate ions.     

Effets des solvants sur le greffage radiochimique de la vinyl-4-pyridine dans des films de polytetrafluoroethylene

Grafting of 4-vinylpyridine into the depth of PTFE films was studied using the direct radiation chemical method and solutions of monomer in either methanol or pyridine. In methanol solutions, the grafting rate is maximum for monomer concentrations of 60–85 per cent. In pyridine solutions, the rate of grafting steadily increases with monomer content. The extent of swelling of the grafted films in water is greater the longer the grafted branches. These various results are discussed.     

Ion-containing reverse osmosis membranes obtained by radiation grafting method

Cationic membranes obtained by radiation grafting of acqueous acrylic acid onto low density polyethylene films followed by alkaline treatment to confer ionic character in the graft chains, were tested for reverse osmosis desalination of saline water. Selected physical properties of such membranes were investigated. The grafted membranes prossess good mechanical and electrical properties. Water uptake for the alkali-treated membrane was much higher than that of the alkali-untreated one. The effect of operation time, degree of grafting, applied pressure and feed concentration on the water flux and salt rejection for the grafted membranes was investigated. Such cationic membranes showed good durability, thermal and chemical stability, acceptable water flux and salt rejection which may make them acceptable for practical use in reverse osmosis desalination of sea water.     

Gas-phase and liquid-phase pre-irradiation grafting of AAc onto LDPE and HDPE films for pervaporation membranes

A study has been made on gas-phase and liquid-phase pre-irradiation grafting of acrylic acid onto LDPE and HDPE films for pervaporation membranes of ethanol-water mixtures. It was found that the degree of grafting, percent volume change of grafted membranes and length of grafting chains depend on the methods of grafting, crystal state of substrate films and diffusion rate of the monomer in the films. The pervaporation characteristics of grafted membranes is influenced directly by the surface hydrophilicity of grafted membranes, temperature of the feed, degree of grafting, crosslinking of grafted chains and alkaline metal ions in the functional groups. The potassium ion exchange membrane of HDPE synthesized by gas-phase grafting has better pervaporation efficiency. At 80 wt% ethanol in the feed, 25°C feed temperature and 70% degree of grafting a grafted membrane has a 0.65 kg/m²h flux and a separation factor of 20.     

N,N-二乙基丙烯酰胺与丙烯酸在聚丙烯薄膜表面光接枝制备二元接枝膜及其温度、pH值敏感特性研究

以二苯甲酮为引发剂,聚丙烯薄膜(CPP)为基材,通过紫外光接枝的方法制备了具有温度和pH值双重敏感特性的聚N,N-二乙基丙烯酰胺(PNDEA)与聚丙烯酸(PAA)二元接枝膜.在PNDEA一次接枝膜的制备过程中,引发剂与单体配比相同时,本体接枝方法的接枝速率在反应初期明显高于溶液接枝方法;采用溶液法时,增大引发剂与单体配比等可提高接枝率.用本体法所制得的PNDEA一次膜光活化接枝PAA时接枝速率较溶液法高,并且能够实现较高的PAA接枝率.用红外光谱(FTIR)、X射线光电子能谱化学分析(ESCA)对接枝层组成的表征结果证实了二元接枝层的存在.在不同温度下,PNDEA一次接枝膜的FTIR谱图中酰胺Ⅰ带特征吸收峰发生位移表明它具有温度敏感特性.用扫描电子显微镜(SEM)对PNDEA接枝层表征结果表明,用不同接枝手段所制备的接枝膜具有不同的表面形貌.通过吸水率测定研究了二元接枝膜的温度及pH值敏感特性.     

Membranes obtained by preirradiation grafting of acrylic acid onto poly(tetrafluoroethylene–perfluorovinyl ether)

Some properties of the membranes obtained by preirradiation grafting of acrylic acid onto poly(tetrafluoroethylene-perfluorovinyl ether) copolymer (PFA) films have been investigated. The dimensional change caused by grafting and swelling behavior, water uptake, electrical conductivity, and mechanical properties of the grafted films were found to increase as the grafting proceeds. The influence of the preparation conditions (such as preirradiation dose, monomer concentration, grafting temperature, and film thickness) on those properties was studied. These properties were found to be dependent mainly on the degree of grafting regardless of grafting conditions, except at higher monomer concentration (>40 wt %). The electric conductivity and mechanical properties for the membranes obtained at higher AAc concentrations were lower than those obtained at lower ones. Analysis by x-ray microscopy of the grafted films revealed that the grafting begins at the part close to the film surface and proceeds into the central part with progressive diffusion of monomer to give finally homogeneous distribution of the electrolytes in the whole bulk of the polymer. The membranes show good electrochemical and mechanical properties which make them acceptable for practical use as cation-exchange membranes.     

Microfiltration membranes with pH dependent property prepared from poly(methacrylic acid) grafted polyethersulfone powder

Poly(methacrylic acid) (PMAA) grafted polyethersulfone (PES) powder was prepared by γ-ray irradiation-induced graft polymerization. The existing of the PMAA side chains in the grafted powder was proved by FT-IR spectroscopy. Then, pH dependent microfiltration (MF) membranes were cast from PES-g-PMAA powder with different degree of grafting (DG) under phase inversion method. The contact angle, mean pore size and swelling behavior of MF membranes were measured. The morphology was studied and the water filtration property was also tested. The results showed that the mean pore sizes and filtration properties of MF membranes cast from PES-g-PMAA powder varied with pH. In the most variant case, the flux of acid solution was about four times as that of basic solution for the MF membrane cast from PES-g-PMAA with DG of 20.0%.     

Controlled pore functionalization of poly(ethylene terephthalate) track-etched membranes via surface-initiated atom transfer radical polymerization

A new method for surface-initiated atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) on the technical polymer poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) has been developed which allows controlling and estimating the layer thickness of the grafted polymer in the isocylindrical pores of track-etched membranes. After PET surface treatment by oxidative hydrolysis, the bromoalkyl initiator was immobilized on the PET surface in a two-step solid-phase reaction; the isoporous membrane structure was preserved, and the pore diameter was increased from 760 to 790 nm. Poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAAm) was grafted under ATRP conditions from a methanol/water mixture at room temperature. Both monomer concentration and reaction time could be used as parameters to adjust the degree of grafting. Effective grafted layer thickness and its response to temperature were estimated from pure water permeability. All data, especially the high polymer densities (0.37 g/cm3) in the swollen layers at 25 degrees C, indicate that grafted PNIPAAm with a "brush" structure has been achieved. For dry PNIPAAm layer thicknesses on the PET pore walls of up to 80 nm, a temperature-induced swelling/deswelling ratio of approximately 3 had been observed. Reduction of the brush grafting density, via composition of the reaction mixture used in solid-phase synthesis for initiator immobilization, led to an increase of that swelling/deswelling ratio. Further, density and temperature response of the grafted PNIPAAm layers synthesized via ATRP were compared with those obtained in the same membranes by less controlled photografting, leading to lower grafting density and larger gradients in grafted layer density and, consequently, much higher swelling/deswelling ratios (>15).     

Influence des associations moleculaires sur la copolymerisation de l'acide acrylique avec l'acide methacrylique et avec l'acrylate de methyle

The copolymerization of acrylic acid with methacrylic acid in bulk is investigated at 40 and 60°. It is confirmed that a “matrix effect” occurs only for high contents of acrylic acid. The critical concentration beyond which the matrix effect disappears is shifted towards lower acrylic acid contents for higher temperatures. The copolymer composition is independent of temperature. The copolymerization of acrylic acid with methyl acrylate is investigated in a mixture which determines an “exaltation of the matrix effect” in the homopolymerization of acrylic acid (molar fractions: m_Monomers = 0.34; m_n-Hexane = 0.52; m_Methanol = 0.14). The resulting copolymers are found to contain a much larger fraction of acrylic acid residues than the copolymers formed in bulk or in toluene or DMF solutions.     

Membranes hydrophiles non-ionisables obtenues par le greffage radiochimique de la n-vinylpyrrolidone dans des films de polytetrafluoroethylene

Non-ionizable, hydrophilic membranes were prepared by radiation grafting of vinylpyrrolidone into polytetrafluoroethylene films. The conditions under which grafting proceeds into the depth of the films were determined. It was found necessary to use aromatic solvents such as pyridine or benzene. The kinetics of the reaction were examined considering the following parameters: temperature, dose, dose-rate and concentration of monomer. The rate of grafting was found highest for monomer concentrations of 60–70 per cent. The results show that the grafting process is complicated by the high viscosity of the reaction medium and by the fact that the rate of diffusion of monomer into the films may become the controlling factor. The rate of homopolymerization of vinylpyrrolidone was also determined. The swelling of the resulting membranes was studied in various solvents. It was found that the limiting swelling ratio depended on the composition of the film but for given composition the swelling ration in water also depends on the grafting conditions. These various results are discussed.     

Relations entre la structure et les proprietes des membranes de polytetrafluoroethylene greffe—II. Membranes bifonctionnelles

Bifunctional membranes containing both carboxylic and pyridine groups are obtained by successive grafting of acrylic acid and 4-vinylpyridine onto thin films of PTFE. Homogeneous membranes with a random distribution of grafting chains have been prepared by the direct radiation method. Mosaic membranes containing geometrically well defined acid and basic zones are made by pre-irradiation with X-rays using two absorbing shields; the two monomers are grafted in successive steps. The equilibrium and transport properties of these membranes have been determined. They can either result from the addition of the properties of each component (in the case of conductivity) or give rise to a new properties (e.g. abnormal negative osmosis). Whatever the structure of the bifunctional membrane (homogeneous or mosaic), this negative osmosis occurs within a pH range in which the membrane potential varies greatly i.e. when the ionic character of the membrane changes. Experimental data are discussed on the basis of thermodynamics of irreversible phenomena. The phenomenological coefficients characteristic for a membrane belonging to each of the two types (mono- and bi-functional) have been calculated. The reflection coefficient σ is negative: this suggests a potential application of these membranes in piezodialysis.     

New composite membranes based on crosslinked poly(acrylic acid) and porous polyethylene films

A process for the preparation of new composite membranes via free-radical copolymerization of acrylic acid with a macromolecular crosslinker (allyloxyethylcellulose) on the surface of porous polyethylene films was proposed. To reveal the effect of the porous matrix on the properties of the composites, homogeneous hydrogel membranes based on crosslinked poly(acrylic acid) were studied. The swelling ratio and transport characteristics of the membranes during separation of ethanol-water mixture by pervaporation were determined depending on the ethanol concentration. It was found that all membranes at low ethanol concentrations (0–30 vol %) exhibited high swelling ratios, which drastically decreased in the range 30–40 vol % as a result of gel collapse. The composite membranes had a higher selectivity for water over a broad range of ethanol concentrations than homogeneous membranes, but a lower flux. It was found that the strength and elasticity of porous matrices was retained in the composite membranes, which became mechanically more isotropic owing to the presence of the crosslinked component.     

Sur une exaltation de l'“effet de matrice” lors de la polymerisation de l'acide acrylique dans certains melanges ternaires

The polymerization of acrylic acid proceeds with an extremely high degree of auto-acceleration in certain ternary mixtures. The most drastic effects are observed when small amounts of methanol are added to a dilute solution of acrylic acid in n-hexane. In such systems the auto-acceleration index “β” may exceed 10. β Was found to exhibit a maximum over a fairly narrow range of concentrations. Moreover, the values of β are highest at temperatures between ?5 and + 10°, where a maximum of 16 is reached. The swelling of poly(acrylic acid) in the various reacting mixtures was measured and the molecular associations of the monomer with itself and with methanol were investigated. It was concluded that the “exaltation of the matrix effect” in some of the systems is caused by the complex [(Acrylic acid)₂, McOH]. This complex associates very rapidly with the polymer formed in the early stages of the reaction to produce a structure in which ultrafast propagation occurs. The swelling of the polymer favours the accessibility of the monomer to the polymeric chains during polymerization, leading to auto-acceleration which progresses with conversion and gives rise to a reaction with explosive character.