Micellar polymerization of sodium 11-(n-ethylacrylamido)undecanoate. Kinetics and solution properties

Abstract

Polymerizations of micelle-forming sodium 11-(N-ethylacrylamido)undecanoate (Na 11-EAAU) in water were carried out at different concentrations of the anionic monomer and potassium persulfate from 50 to 60°C. The polymerization kinetics was close to half order with respect to the initiator and first order to the monomer. With the low activation energy of only 45.7 kJ/mol, polymerization of Na 11-EAAU in the micellar aggregates proceeded very rapidly. High molecular weights (approx. 106) poly(Na 11-EAAU) could easily be obtained. The results suggest that the organized structures of the micellar monomers in aqueous solution are responsible for fast polymerization and high MW. The effect of NaCl and aging on the solutuion behavior of poly(Na 11-EAAU) have also been studied.