Abstract
In the present study, we synthesized new functional hydrophobic acrylate monomers. The first monomer was based on 4-acetylacetophenone, and the other one was based on vanillin as a renewable resource. The starting material was reacted with acryloyl chloride for the formation of 4-acetylphenyl acrylate (APA) and 4-formyl-2-methoxyphenylacrylate (vanillin acrylate) or (VA), respectively. The chemical structures were deduced by H-1 NMR, 13C NMR, and FTIR. The effect of these monomers on the transition temperature or lower critical solution temperature of thermo-responsive N-isopropylacrylamide was achieved by the free radical polymerization of three different molar concentrations of both APA and VA with NIPAAm in solution and using 2,2 ' azobis(isobutyronitrile) (AIBN) as an initiator. The terpolymers were chemically evaluated. They have been also investigated by gel permission chromatography (GPC) for molecular weight and molecular weight distribution; the glass temperatures were determined by differential scanning calorimetry DSC; X-ray diffraction (XRD) was used for the extent of crystallinity; scanning electron microscopy was used (SEM) for surface morphology. The phase separation and lower critical solution temperature T-c were measured using two methods: UV-Vis spectroscopy for turbidity measurements and micro-DSC of the polymer solution. In the future, we will use these polymers in the bio-separation process and the formation of a responsive hydrogel.
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