Thermosensitive copolymers having soluble and insoluble monomer units, poly(N-vinylacetamide-co-methyl acrylate)s: Effect of additives on their lower critical solution temperatures

• Published in: Journal of polymer science. Part A, Polymer chemistry Polymer chemistry, 2004-06, Vol.42 (11), p.2651-2658
• Main Authors: Mori, Takeshi, Fukuda, Yasuhisa, Okamura, Hirokazu, Minagawa, Keiji, Masuda, Seizo, Tanaka, Masami
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Applied sciences; Exact sciences and technology; Hoffmeister series; lower critical solution temperature; methyl acrylate; N-vinylacetamide; Organic polymers; Physicochemistry of polymers; Polymers with particular properties; Preparation, kinetics, thermodynamics, mechanism and catalysts; salting-in; salting-out; thermosensitive; viscosity B coefficient
• ISSN: 0887-624X; 1099-0518
• DOI: 10.1002/pola.20123

New thermosensitive polymers were synthesized by copolymerization between N‐vinylacetamide (NVA) and methyl acrylate whose homopolymers are soluble and insoluble in water, respectively. The lower critical solution temperature (LCST) of the obtained copolymers ranged between 59 and 83 °C, and the LCST increased with an increasing NVA content in the copolymers. The effectiveness of various salts addition on lowering the LCST of the copolymer solutions followed Hoffmeister series. NaCl and Na2SO4 addition linearly lowered the LCST with an increasing salts concentration, and slopes of the lines were almost constant regardless of the copolymer composition. The effectiveness of alcohols with various alkyl chain lengths on lowering the LCST did not follow the viscosity B coefficient values of the alcohols, which was probably the result of preferential adsorption of the alcohols to the copolymer. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 42: 2651–2658, 2004 New thermosensitive polymers were synthesized by copolymerization between N‐vinylacetamide and methyl acrylate whose homopolymers are soluble and insoluble in water, respectively. The lower critical solution temperature (LCST) of the obtained copolymers ranged between 59 and 83 °C. The effect of additives (salts and alcohols) on the LCST of the copolymers was investigated.