Amphiphilic copolymers of sucrose methacrylate and acrylic monomers: Bio-based materials from renewable resource

• Published in: Carbohydrate polymers 2013-04, Vol.94 (1), p.317-322
• Main Authors: de Oliveira, Heitor F.N., Felisberti, Maria Isabel
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adsorption; Amphiphilic copolymer; Applied sciences; aqueous solutions; biobased products; Calorimetry, Differential Scanning; carbon; composite polymers; Conservation of Natural Resources; Copolymerization; crosslinking; differential scanning calorimetry; Exact sciences and technology; extrusion; gel chromatography; glass transition; hydrocolloids; Hydrogel; Hydrogen Bonding; hydrophilicity; Hydrophobic and Hydrophilic Interactions; hydrophobicity; Methacrylates - chemical synthesis; Methacrylates - chemistry; nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy; Organic polymers; Phase behavior; Physicochemistry of polymers; Polymerization; Preparation, kinetics, thermodynamics, mechanism and catalysts; processing technology; renewable resources; solubility; solvents; stable isotopes; sucrose; Sucrose - analogs & derivatives; Sucrose - chemical synthesis; Sucrose - chemistry; Sucrose methacrylate; Surface-Active Agents; temperature; Thermogravimetry; transesterification; Vitrification
• ISSN: 0144-8617; 1879-1344
• DOI: 10.1016/j.carbpol.2012.12.061

► Copolymers of sucrose 1′-O-methacrylate were obtained free radical polymerization. ► The copolymers present a random distribution of comonomers. ► The solubility of the copolymers depends strongly on the composition. ► The water soluble copolymers are thermoresponsive. ► The water insoluble copolymers behave as hydrogels. Regioselective sucrose 1′-O-methacrylate obtained by transesterification catalyzed by Proteinase-N was copolymerized with hydrophilic N-isopropylacrylamide and hydrophobic methyl methacrylate in different molar ratios by free radical polymerization. The copolymers were characterized by 13C nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, gel permeation chromatography, differential scanning calorimetry and thermogravimetry. Solubility and phase behavior of aqueous solutions were also investigated. The glass transition of the copolymers presents a positive deviation from the values of the homopolymers due to the high density of inter and intramolecular hydrogen bonding. Their solubility is strongly dependent on the composition. Copolymers poor in methyl methacrylate are water soluble, while copolymers richer in methyl methacrylate behaves as hydrogel. These hydrogels are not chemically crosslinked and their form can be design prior swelling by the conventional processing methods, such as solvent casting and extrusion for instance. Copolymers of N-isopropylacrylamide are water soluble and their aqueous solutions present a lower critical solution temperature behavior forming thermoreversible hydrogels.