An efficient process for synthesizing and hydrolyzing a phosphonated methacrylate: Investigation of the adhesive and anticorrosive properties

A new phosphonated methacrylate, namely dimethyl(methacryloyloxy)methyl phosphonate (MAPC₁), has been synthesized using paraformaldehyde and potassium carbonate according to the Pudovik reaction. The quantitative synthesis of MAPC₁ was followed by selective hydrolysis of the ester group with sodium bromide to replace NaI (imparting non‐negligible ecological impact). Pure MAPC₁(OH) was obtained in high yield and efficiently copolymerized with MMA. The r₁ for MAPC₁(OH)) and r₂ (for MMA) values are 0.99 and 1.02, respectively, which indicates that the monophosphonic groups are statistically linked to the methacrylate backbone. When blended with PVDF, MMA/MAPC₁(OH) copolymers show very good adhesion promoters in both dry and wet conditions and subsequently provide good anticorrosive properties. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 46: 4794–4803, 2008