Mechanism of copolymerization of acrylamide with a polymerizable surfactant

Associating polymers have been prepared by radical copolymerization in water of acrylamide with a micelleforming cationic polymerizable surfactant. To estimate the locus of initiation, the polymerizations were carried out in the presence of initiators and radical inhibitors of various solubilities (water-soluble or oil-soluble), and the decay of inhibitor concentration has been monitored by electron spin resonance spectroscopy. Conversion–time curves simultaneously determined. The experimental data have been interpreted by taking into account the concentration and lifetime of the different radical species (primary radicals, oligoradicals, inhibitors), their partitioning between the micelles and the aqueous continuous phase, and the dynamics of the micellar system. Analysis of the data provided some insight into the copolymerization mechanism of these micellar systems.