Study and Optimization on graft polymerization under normal pressure and air atmospheric conditions,and its application to metal adsorbent

Radiation-induced graft polymerization of glycidyl methacrylate (GMA) onto non-woven polyethylene (NWPE) fabric was achieved under normal pressure and air atmospheric conditions, without using unique apparatus such as glass ampoules or vacuum lines. To attain graft polymerization under normal pressure and air atmospheric conditions, the effects of the pre-irradiation dose, pre-irradiation atmosphere, pre-irradiation temperature, de-aeration of GMA-emulsion, grafting atmosphere in a reactor, and dissolved oxygen (DO) concentration in GMA-emulsion on the degree of grafting (Dg) were investigated in detail. It was found that the DO concentration had the strongest influence, the pre-irradiation dose, de-aeration of emulsion and grafting atmosphere had a relatively strong impact, and the pre-irradiation atmosphere and pre-irradiation temperature had the least effect on Dg. The optimum DO concentration before grafting was 2.0 mg/L or less. When a polyethylene bottle was used as a reactor instead of a glass ampoule, graft polymerization under normal pressure and air atmospheric conditions could be achieved under the following conditions; the pre-irradiation dose was more than 50 kGy, the volume ratio of GMA-emulsion to air was 50:1 or less, and the DO concentration in GMA-emulsion during grafting was below 2.0 mg/L. Under these grafting conditions, Dg was controlled within a range of up to 362%. The prepared GMA–grafted NWPE (GMA–g-NWPE) fabric was modified with a phosphoric acid to obtain an adsorbent for heavy metal ions. In the column-mode adsorption tests of Pb(II), the adsorption performance of the produced phosphorylated GMA–g-NWPE fabric (fibrous metal adsorbent) was not essentially dependent on the flow rate of the feed. The breakthrough points of 200, 500, and 1000 h^?1 in space velocity were 483, 477 and 462 bed volumes, and the breakthrough capacities of the three flow rates were 1.16, 1.15 and 1.16 mmol-Pb(II)/g-adsorbent.     

Kinetics of the diazotization and azo coupling reactions of procaine in the micellar media

The kinetics of the diazotization reaction of procaine in the presence of anionic micelles of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and cationic micelles of cetyltrimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB), dodecyltrimethyl ammonium bromide (DDTAB) and tetradecyltrimethyl ammonium bromide (TDTAB) were carried out spectrophotometrically at λ_max = 289 nm. The values of the pseudo first order rate constant were found to be linearly dependent upon the [NaNO₂] in the concentration range of 1.0 × 10⁻³ mol dm⁻³ to 12.0 × 10⁻³ mol dm⁻³ in the presence of 2.0 × 10⁻² mol dm⁻³ acetic acid. The concentration of procaine was kept constant at 6.50 × 10⁻⁵ mol dm⁻³. The addition of the cationic surfactants increased the reaction rate and gave plateau like curve. The addition of SDS micelles to the reactants initially increased the rate of reaction and gave maximum like curve. The maximum value of the rate constant was found to be 9.44 × 10⁻³ s⁻¹ at 2.00 × 10⁻³ mol dm⁻³ SDS concentration. The azo coupling of diazonium ion with β-naphthol (at λ_max = 488) nm was found to linearly dependent upon [ProcN₂⁺] in the presence of both the cationic micelles (CTAB, DDTAB and TDTAB) and anionic micelles (SDS). Both the cationic and anionic micelles inhibited the rate of reactions. The kinetic results in the presence of micelles are explained using the Berezin pseudophase model. This model was also used to determine the kinetic parameters e.g. k_m, K_s from the observed results of the variation of rate constant at different [surfactants].     

Morphosynthesis of poly(ether ketone) by reaction-induced crystallization during polymerization

Morphology control of poly(ether ketone) (PEK) was examined by using the crystallization during the nucleophilic aromatic substitution reaction of potassium salt of 4-fluoro-4′-hydroxybenzophenone. Polymerizations were carried out at 290 °C. The PEK was obtained as precipitates and its morphology was highly influenced by the polymerization condition such as the solvent, the concentration and the polymerization time. High crystalline spindle-like crystals were obtained by the polymerization in diphenyl sulfone (DPS) at a concentration of 5.0% for 2 h with the yield of 86%. The average length and width were 1.4 μm and 300 nm respectively, and the maximum thickness was 130 nm. The surface was not smooth and it was hilly. The spindle-like crystal was likely consisted of multilayered lamellae comprised of the microcrystallites. The molecules were oriented perpendicular to the lamella. The polymerization in DPS at a higher concentration of 10.0% afforded the networks of nanofibres, of which the diameter was 100–250 nm. The obtained PEK precipitates possessed excellent thermal properties.     

A mild method of amine-type adsorbents syntheses with emulsion graft polymerization of glycidyl methacrylate on polyethylene non-woven fabric by pre-irradiation

A mild pre-irradiation method was used to graft glycidyl methacrylate (GMA) onto polyethylene (PE) non-woven fabric (NF). The polymer was irradiated by electron beam in air atmosphere at room temperature. The degree of grafting (D_g) was determined as a function of reaction time, absorbed dose, monomer concentration and temperature. After 30 kGy irradiation, with 5% GMA, surfactant Tween 20 (Tw-20) of 0.5% at 55 °C for 15 min, the trunk polymer was made grafted with a D_g of 150%. Selected PE-g-PGMA of different D_g was modified with aminated compounds such as ethylenediamine (EDA), diethylenetriamine (DETA), triethylenetetramine (TETA) and tetraethylenepentamine (TEPA). The obtained amine-type adsorbents were prepared to remove copper and uranium ions from solution. It was shown that at least 90% of copper and 60% of uranium with the initial concentration from 3 to 1000 ppb can be removed from water.     

Biodegradable metal adsorbent synthesized by graft polymerization onto nonwoven cotton fabric

A fibrous adsorbent for Hg ions was synthesized by radiation-induced emulsion graft polymerization of glycidyl methacrylate (GMA) onto a nonwoven cotton fabric and subsequent chemical modification. The optimal pre-irradiation dose for initiation of the graft polymerization of GMA, which minimized the effects of radiation damage on the mechanical strength of the nonwoven cotton fabric, was found to be 10 kGy. The GMA-grafted nonwoven cotton fabric was subsequently modified with ethylenediamine (EDA) or diethylenetriamine (DETA) to obtain a Hg adsorbent. The resulting amine-type adsorbents were evaluated for batch and continuous adsorption of Hg. In batch adsorption, the distribution coefficients of Hg reached 1.9×10⁵ and 1.0×10⁵ for EDA- and DETA-type adsorbents, respectively. A column packed with EDA-type adsorbent removed Hg from 1.8 ppm Hg solution at a space velocity of 100 h^?1, which corresponds to 16,000 times the volume of the packed adsorbent. The adsorbed Hg on the EDA-type adsorbent could be completely eluted by 1 M HCl solution. A microbial oxidative degradation test revealed that the EDA-type adsorbent is biodegradable.     

The effect of sodium dodecyl sulfate solutions as gelation media on the formation of PES membranes

Sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) aqueous solutions were used as gelation media in the preparation of polyethersulfone (PES) membranes. The casting solution composition was the same for all the tested membranes. The temperatures of gelation media were 4 and 20°C. The concentration of SDS was changed from 0 to 3.0 g/l at 4°C and 0 to 1.6 g/l at 20°C.The surface tension of the gelation media was measured by drop weight method and the electrical conductivities were also determined. The membranes were characterized by transport parameters obtained from separation experiments and roughness parameters, obtained by the atomic force microscopic (AFM) technique.The molecular weight cut-off (MWCO) values of the studied membranes were found to be between 9 000 and 88 000 Da for membranes gelled at 4°C, and between 28 000 and 85 000 Da for membranes gelled at 20°C. The pore sizes were found to be between 3.04 and 10.73 nm for the membranes gelled at 4°C and between 4.48 and 10.74 nm for membranes gelled at 20°C, respectively. In general, both MWCO and pore size decreased with an increase of SDS concentration in gelation media when the concentration was below critical micelle concentration (CMC) and increased with an increase with SDS concentration when the concentration was above CMC. Images of membrane surfaces, taken by AFM, showed that the size of nodules and depressions decreased with a decrease in pore size. The roughness of membranes increased with an increase in pore size and MWCO.     

Preparation of metal adsorbent from poly(methyl acrylate)-grafted-cassava starch via gamma irradiation

Metal adsorbent containing hydroxamic acid groups was successfully synthesized by radiation-induced graft copolymerization of methyl acrylate (MA) onto cassava starch. The optimum conditions for grafting were studied in terms of % degree of grafting (Dg). Conversion of the ester groups present in poly(methyl acrylate)-grafted-cassava starch copolymer into hydroxamic acid was carried out by treatment with hydroxylamine (HA) in the presence of alkaline solution. The maximum percentage conversion of the ester groups of the grafted copolymer, % Dg=191 (7.63 mmol/g of MA), into the hydroxamic groups was 70% (5.35 mmol/g of MA) at the optimum condition. The adsorbent of 191%Dg had total adsorption capacities of 2.6, 1.46, 1.36, 1.15 and 1.6 mmol/g-adsorbent for Cd²⁺, Al³⁺, UO₂²⁺, V⁵⁺ and Pb²⁺, respectively, in the batch mode adsorption.     

Titration calorimetry of surfactant–drug interactions: Micelle formation and saturation studies

Isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) was employed to monitor the addition of five model drugs to anionic surfactant based micelles, composed of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), through to the point at which they were saturated with drug. Analysis of the resultant data using this newly developed method has confirmed the suitability of the technique to acquire such data with saturation limits established in all cases. Values for the point at which saturation occurred ranged from 17 molecules of theophylline per micelle at T = 298 K up to 63 molecules of caffeine per micelle at 310 K. Micellar systems can be disrupted by the presence of additional chemicals, such as the drugs used in this study, therefore a separate investigation was undertaken to determine the critical micellar concentration (CMC) for SDS in the presence of each drug at T = 298 K and 310 K using ITC. In the majority of cases, there was no appreciable alteration to the CMC of SDS with drug present.     

Pervaporation of aromatic/non-aromatic hydrocarbon mixtures through plasma-grafted membranes

Using glycidyl methacrylate (GMA) as a grafting monomer and a porous high density polyethylene film as a substrate, plasma-graft polymerized membranes were prepared by the different plasma treatment manners, namely, homogeneous both-side (HBS) and one side (OS) treatments. The poly(GMA)-grafted membranes displayed two different types of the feed composition dependence of permeation flux and separation factor for pervaporation (PV) of benzene/cyclohexane (Bz/Cx) mixtures, depending on the plasma treatment manner and the graft yield. The membranes prepared by the HBS treatment and under mild polymerization conditions displayed the highest performance with a permeation flux of 0.30–0.37 kg/m² h and a separation factor of 19–22 at feed Bz of 60 wt% and 70°C. The membranes exhibited high performance with excellent durability for PV of other aromatic/aliphatic hydrocarbon mixtures.     

Ion exchange fabric synthesized by graft polymerization and its application to ultra-pure water production

Ion exchange fabric (IEF) having the functional group of sulfonic acid was synthesized by radiation grafting of glycidyl methacrylate on a polyethylene nonwoven fabric and subsequent chemical modification. Total organic carbon eluted from the resulting IEF could be reduced to the concentration less than 1 ppb after washing with organic solvents. Adsorption performance of the obtained IEF was evaluated by 10 ppb Na⁺ solution. The column packed IEF, 7 mm in diameter and 20 mm high, could remove the Na⁺ at the distribution coefficient of 1.2×10⁷ at linear velocity of 400 m/h. At column height of 95 mm, the breakthrough point reached 2.0×10⁵ in bed volume and the degree of column utilization was improved up to 18.7%. From these results, the IEF synthesized by graft polymerization was considered to be applicable for water purification in ultra-pure water production.     

Dual-response nanocarrier based on graft copolymers with hydrazone bond linkages for improved drug delivery

Core–shell micelles with biodegradability, thermo- and pH-response were successfully demonstrated by poly(2-oxepane-1,5-dione-co-ɛ-caprolactone) (P(OPD-co-CL)) grafted with hydrophilic segments of amine-terminated poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (At-PNIPAM). To compare with the graft copolymer, P(OPD-co-CL) block PNIPAM polymer was also prepared. The micelles with core–shell structure were formed with both graft and block copolymers by self-assembly in aqueous solutions, of which PNIPAM shell is thermo-response. Furthermore, P(OPD-co-CL)-g-PNIPAM also showed pH-sensitivity, which was attributed to the acid-cleavable property of the hydrazone bond. The low critical micelle concentrations (CMCs) of graft polymers and block polymers were 6.7 mg/L and 14.3 mg/L, respectively, which indicated the formation of stable micelles. Both drug-free and drug-loaded micelles were in uniformly spherical shape observed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The sizes of the drug-free and drug-loaded micelles prepared from graft polymer were 123.5 nm and 146.5 nm, respectively, and the sizes of those prepared from block polymer were 197.5 nm and 211.5 nm, respectively. The lower critical solution temperature (LCST) for the graft polymer was 34.3 °C, while that for the block polymer was 28.1 °C, demonstrating a thermo-response. The graft polymeric micelles exhibited thermo-triggered decelerated release at pH 7.4, and pH-triggered accelerated release at 25 °C in vitro release test, indicating that the graft polymeric micelles could be a promising site-specific drug delivery system for enhancing the bioavailability of the drug in targeted pathological areas.     

Metal adsorbent for alkaline etching aqua solutions of Si wafer

High performance adsorbent is expected to be synthesized for the removal of Ni and Cu ions from strong alkaline solution used in the surface etching process of Si wafer. Fibrous adsorbent was synthesized by radiation-induce emulsion graft polymerization onto polyethylene nonwoven fabric and subsequent amination. The reaction condition was optimized using 30 L reaction vessel and nonwoven fabric, 0.3 m width and 18 m long. The resulting fibrous adsorbent was evaluated by 48 wt% NaOH and KOH contaminated with Ni and Cu ions, respectively. The concentration levels of Ni and Cu ions was reduced to less than 1 μg/kg (ppb) at the flow rate of 10 h^?1 in space velocity. The life of adsorbent was 30 times higher than that of the commercialized resin. This novel adsorbent was commercialized as METOLATE^® since the ability of adsorption is remarkably higher than that of commercial resin used practically in Si wafer processing.     

High monomer content batch microemulsion polymerization of butyl acrylate initiated with gamma ray

Radiation polymerization of butyl acrylate was performed in a microemulsion stabilized with a mixture of sodium of 12-acryloxy-9-octadecenoic acid and sodium dodecyl sulfate in a weight ratio of 2 at room temperature. BA content in microemulsion can be successfully improved up to 40 wt% with low surfactant concentration (lower than 10 wt%). The resulted stable, translucent microlatex contain particles with average diameter from 28.1 to 38.1 nm with different monomer content. Particle size depends on the dose rate and surfactant concentration. Effects of monomer content and dose rate on the maximum polymerization rate are discussed.     

UV-absorption and fluorimetric methods for the determination of alprazolam in pharmaceutical formulation

The development of UV and fluorescence spectrophotometric methods for the quantitative determination of alprazolam in dosage forms using As(III)?SDS system. The two simple and sensitive, spectrophotometric and spectrofluorimetric methods were developed for the determination of alprazolam (ALP) in tablets. These methods are based on formation of ALP?As(III) complex in the presence of SDS. The UV-spectrum of 30% methanolic solution of ALP (5 × 10^?5 M) at pH 6.5 (Mclivaine buffer) was run between 200 and 380 nm. The absorption spectrum of ALP exhibits two peaks with a λ_max. at 255 nm and a weak band at 325 nm. When the spectra of the drug were run at varying pH in the region 200–380 nm, one isosbestic point at 290 nm was observed, which indicated the presence of two ionic conditions in solution. The complex exhibited an absorption maximum at 265 nm and emission peak at 520 nm with respect to the excitation wavelength of 325 nm. The spectrophotometric method was found to be linear in 8.0–17.0 μg ml^?1 range with detection limit of 13.520 μg ml^?1, while 0.05–9.5 μg ml^?1 range was with detection limit of 1.048 × 10^?2 μg ml^?1 by spectrofluorimetric method. The mean percentage recovery of the added quantity was found to be 99.54 (spectrophotometric method) and 100.22 (spectrofluorimetric method) and the %RSD are lower than 0.478 and 0.296 determined spectrophotomerically and spectrofluorimtrically, respectively. This indicates that the proposed method is accurate. The apparent ionization constant of ALP was found to be 9.29. The spectra, experimental conditions were set followed by determination stoichiometry, stability constant and thermodynamic parameters of the As(III), Co(II), Ni(II), and Zn(II) complexes with ALP at pH 6.5. The proposed methods have been successfully applied to the assay of ALP in tablets and the results were statistically evaluated.     

Competitive adsorption between SDS and carbonate on tetrahydrofuran hydrates

Sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) has been well known as a promoter for the formation of hydrates. However, the use of SDS to enhance the formation of CO₂ hydrates has not been effective. This work will present an idea of competitive adsorption that will provide insights into the nonpromoting effect of SDS under high carbonate concentrations. The competitive adsorption is studied between DS^? monomers and carbonate ions on tetrahydrofuran (THF) hydrates. The adsorption is qualitatively investigated by using pyrene fluorescence measurements. The SDS concentration at which hydrophobic domains occur on the hydrate surface increases with the increased carbonate concentration and this trend is less dependent on the order of addition of these two species. This concentration is 0.17 mM at carbonate concentrations less than 2 μM and it shifts to 3.47 mM at carbonate concentrations higher than 2.5 μM. Thus, using carbonate with its concentration higher than 2.5 μM would be enough to displace the hydrophobic domains formed by SDS up to the solubility limit.     

Inclusion polymerization of isoprene in deoxycholic acid

The radiation-induced polymerization of isoprene was made on its inclusion (or clathrate) complex with deoxycholic acid (DOCA) at 150 and 300 kGy. The microstructure of the resulting polyisoprene (PIP) was studied by FTIR spectroscopy and found fully comparable to that of PIP prepared by emulsion polymerization by a free radical initiator. Thus, the 1,4-trans content was found to be 48% and that of 1,4-cis units was 28% of the polymer structure; the remaining are being 1,2 and 3,4 units. The PIP irregular microstructure was justified in terms of monomer dynamics inside the DOCA channels. PIP from inclusion polymerization is fully amorphous as studied by differential thermal analysis (DTA) in comparison to an authentic sample of trans-1,4-polyisoprene, which instead has a crystalline melting point of 71.5 °C. The inclusion complex of PIP with DOCA (PIP@DOCA) shows a DTA melting point of 194.4 °C, 12.4 °C higher than the melting point of pure DOCA. PIP isolated from inclusion polymerization from DOCA and its complex PIP@DOCA was studied also by thermogravimetry (TGA) and differential thermogravimetry (DTG).Isoprene does not form inclusion complexes with urea and thiourea. When irradiated with these two compounds it produces an oily PIP oligomer whose microstructure was found by FTIR spectroscopy analogous to that of PIP prepared by emulsion polymerization by a free radical initiator.     

Effect of gamma radiation on the mechanical and barrier properties of HEMA grafted chitosan-based films

Chitosan films were prepared by dissolving 1% (w/v) chitosan powder in 2% (w/v) aqueous acetic acid solution. Chitosan films were prepared by solution casting. The values of puncture strength (PS), viscoelasticity coefficient and water vapor permeability (WVP) of the films were found to be 565 N/mm, 35%, and 3.30 g mm/m² day kPa, respectively. Chitosan solution was exposed to gamma irradiation (0.1–5 kGy) and it was revealed that PS values were reduced significantly (p≤0.05) after 1 kGy dose and it was not possible to form films after 5 kGy. Monomer, 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA) solution (0.1–1%, w/v) was incorporated into the chitosan solution and the formulation was exposed to gamma irradiation (0.3 kGy). A 0.1% (w/v) HEMA concentration at 0.3 kGy dose was found optimal-based on PS values for chitosan grafting. Then radiation dose (0.1–5 kGy) was optimized for HEMA grafting. The highest PS values (672 N/mm) were found at 0.7 kGy. The WVP of the grafted films improved significantly (p≤0.05) with the rise of radiation dose.     

Synthesis of poly(4-vinyl pyridine-b-methyl methacrylate) by MAMA-SG1 initiated sequential polymerization and formation of metal loaded block copolymer inverse micelles

Well-defined poly(4-vinylpyridine) (P4VP) was synthesised by nitroxide-mediated radical polymerization using the BlocBuilder MAMA-SG1. The controlled character of the polymerization was confirmed by kinetic measurements and linear increase of the molar mass with monomer conversion. Poly(4-vinylpyridine) terminated with SG1 was then used as macroinitiator and chain extended to form poly(4-vinylpyridine-b-methyl methacrylate) and poly(4-vinylpyridine-b-(methyl methacrylate-co-styrene)) block copolymers. These block copolymers spontaneously organized into spherical inverse micelles in THF with critical micelle concentrations of 0.1 mg/mL for poly(4VP₁₉₀-b-MMA₉₁) and 0.01 mg/mL for poly(4VP₁₉₀-b-(MMA₅₇-co-S₁₈)) and sizes of 70 and 130 nm (DLS), respectively. The inverse micelles were loaded with copper(II)acetate leading to a slight increase in micelle size. The uniform structure of the inverse micelles was confirmed by FeSEM images, while the presence of copper in the micelle core was established by energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) and FTIR spectroscopy.     

TEMPO addition into pre-irradiated fluoropolymers and living-radical graft polymerization of styrene for preparation of polymer electrolyte membranes

We prepared proton exchange membranes (PEMs) by 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidinyl-1-oxy (TEMPO)-mediated living-radical graft polymerization (LRGP) of styrene into fluoropolymer films and subsequent sulfonation. Poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) and poly(ethylene-co-tetrafluoroethylene) (ETFE) films were first irradiated and then treated with TEMPO solutions in various solvents. TEMPO addition was confirmed by the test of styrene grafting into TEMPO-treated films at 60 °C, at which the LRGP never proceeds. This test enabled us to differentiate the LRGP from the conventional graft polymerization. In order to gain a deep insight about TEMPO-addition reaction, the TEMPO-penetration behavior into the base polymer films was examined by a permeation experiment and computer simulation. Xylene and dioxane were appropriate solvents for the complete introduction of TEMPO into PVDF and ETFE films, respectively. Then, the LRGP of styrene was performed based on the fully TEMPO-capped films at 125 °C with various solvents. By using an alcoholic solvent, the degree of grafting was enhanced and it reached a maximum of 38%. This grafted film was sulfonated to prepare a PEM showing an ion exchange capacity of 2.2 meq/g and proton conductivity of 1.6×10^?1 S/cm.     

On the stability and properties of the polyacrylate/Na-MMT nanocomposite obtained by seeded emulsion polymerization

For high performance waterborne coatings usually polymer latexes with low emulsifier content are more preferred. Although polymer/clay nanocomposites offer improved properties, it is difficult to produce clay based nanocomposite latexes containing low emulsifier due to the stabilization problems especially caused by organoclays. Present study deals with the preparation of a tBA/BA/MAA ternary copolymer/clay nanocomposite containing 3 wt.% sodium montmorillonite (Na⁺-MMT) via seeded emulsion polymerization. Experimentally it was observed that even the usage of hydrophilic clay caused stabilization problem and a certain amount of emulsifier (>1 wt.%) was necessary to obtain stable latexes. In addition, the usage of a low molecular weight water soluble polymer as steric barrier was found to increase the stability of system. Obtained nanocomposite latex showed fine particle size diameter (127 nm) and very narrow size distribution (PDI = 0.06). The WAXD and TEM investigations indicated that a mostly exfoliated nanocomposite was obtained. Thermal analyses (DSC, DMTA and TGA) showed that there was no change at T_g of the copolymer while very high improvement was obtained for elastic modulus and a slight increase in thermal stability. According to the rheological measurements, the nanocomposite latex showed a higher low shear viscosity, a stronger shear thinning behavior and an improved physical stability in comparison to the reference latex.