2014 AIChE Annual Meeting
(737a) Improved Photopolymerization Kinetics of Acrylate and Amide Monomers in the Presence of Bulky Organic Salts
Authors
John W. Whitley - Presenter, University of Alabama
W. Jeffrey Horne, University of Alabama
Matthew S. Shannon, University of Alabama
Kelsey Terrill, University of Alabama
Spenser Hayward, University of Alabama
Jason E. Bara, University of Alabama
As radical reactions are commonly used in the manufacture of polymers and polymer products, interest has increased in new methods of radical polymerization. Among these techniques is the process of photopolymerization in which the reaction proceeds through the production of radicals from a photoinitiator. Previously, ionic liquids (ILs) have been found to increase the polymerization rate of multiple vinyl monomers including styrene and methacrylates. In our study, coordinated ionic liquids were synthesized containing the anion bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide (Tf2N) and Li+ cations coordinated to the polar vinyl monomers methyl methacrylate, hydroxyethyl methacrylate, methyl acrylate, methacrylic acid, acrylic acid, and acrylamide. The resulting substances were photopolymerized and the monomer conversion measured using real-time Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). In addition, salt extraction tests were performed on the resulting polymers and the material properties were examined using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC).