Kinetics and reaction mechanism of template polymerization investigated by conductimetric measurements Part 4. Radical polymerization of acrylic acid in the presence of poly(vinyl alcohol): characterization of resulting polymer blends

The radical polymerization of acrylic acid in the presence of poly(vinyl alcohol) as a template in aqueous solution has been studied using conductimetry, which shows template influences on the reaction rate. A comparison is made between data obtained by differential scanning calorimetry and infrared spectroscopy for poly(acrylic acid)–poly(vinyl alcohol) blends prepared either by template polymerization or by casting of the preformed polymers. Evidence for more significant interpolymer interactions in blends prepared by template polymerization than in those obtained by simple mixing is given. © 2001 Society of Chemical Industry