Synthesis and characterization of surface-cyanofunctionalized poly ( N -isopropylacrylamide) latexes

Abstract:  A series of P[N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAM)] latexes with different contents of cyano groups were successfully prepared by either seeded or shot-growth polymerizations of an aqueous solution containing acrylonitrile (AN) onto a seed P[NIPAM] latex, respectively, and further characterized by FT-IR, ¹H-NMR, elemental analysis, as well as by quasielastic light scattering (QELS) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). All prepared surface-cyanofunctionalized P[NIPAM] latexes exhibited the same range of lower critical solution temperature (LCST) as a pure P[NIPAM] latex. The shot polymerization process proved more efficient at yielding cyano derivatized latexes than the seeded polymerization technique. The amount of incorporated cyano groups onto the particles was determined with a good correlation both by ¹H-NMR and elemental analysis. The higher the amount of initially introduced AN monomer in the reaction mixture, the more cyano groups were incorporated onto the particles. The surface of the particles with high content of cyano groups appeared quite rough by SEM in comparison with that of the pure P[NIPAM] particles.