Effect of Alkyl-Group Substituents on the Degradation of Poly(alkyl methacrylates) in Supercritical Fluids

Effect of the photoinitiator system on the polymerization of secondary methacrylamides of systematically varied structure for dental adhesive applications

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of the photoinitiator system on the polymerization kinetics of methacrylamide-based monomers as alternatives to methacrylates in adhesives dental-based materials.

METHODS

In total, 16 groups were tested. Monofunctional monomers (2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) - HEMA; (2-hydroxy-1-ethyl methacrylate) -2EMATE, (2-hydroxyethyl methacrylamide) - HEMAM; and (N-(1-hydroxybutan-2-yl) methacrylamide) -2EM; were combined with bifunctional monomers containing the same polymerizing moieties as the monofunctional counterparts (HEMA-BDI; 2EMATE-BDI; HEMAM-BDI; and 2EM-BDI) at 50/50 M ratios. BHT was used as inhibitor (0.1 wt%) and the photoinitiators used were: CQ + EDMAB (0.2/0.8), BAPO (0.2), IVOCERIN (0.2), and DMPA (0.2), in wt%. The polymerization kinetics were monitored using Near-IR spectroscopy (∼6165 cm-1) in real-time while the specimens were photoactivated with a mercury arc lamp (Acticure 2; 320-500 nm, 300 mW/cm2) for 5 min, and maximum rate of polymerization (Rpmax, in %.s-̄1), degree of conversion at Rpmax (DC@Rpmax, in %), and the final degree of conversion (Final DC, in %) were calculated (n = 3). Initial viscosity was measured with an oscillating rheometer (n = 3). Data were analyzed using Two-way ANOVA for the polymerization kinetics and one-way ANOVA for the viscosity. Multiple comparisons were made using the Tukey's test (∝ = 0.05).

RESULTS

There was statistically significant interaction between monomer and photoinitiator (p < 0.001). For the methacrylates groups, the highest Rpmax was observed for HEMA + DMPA and 2EMATE + BAPO. For methacrylamides groups, the highest Rpmax were observed for HEMAM and 2EM, both with DMPA. Final DC was higher for the methacrylate groups, in comparison with methacrylamide groups, independent of the photoinitiators. However, for the methacrylamide groups, the association with BAPO led to the lowest values of DC. In terms of DC@Rpmax, methacrylate-based systems showed significantly higher values than methacrylamide formulations. DMPA and Ivocerin led to higher values than CQ/EDMAB and BAPO in methacrylamide-based compounds. BAPO systems showed de lowest values for both HEMA and HEMAM formulations. For the viscosity (Pa.s), only 2EM had higher values (1.60 ± 0.15) in comparison with all monomers. In conclusion, polymerization kinetics was affected by the photoinitiators for both monomers. Viscosity was significantly increased with the use of secondary methacrylamide.

SIGNIFICANCE

this work demonstrated the feasibility of using newly-synthesized methacrylamide monomers in conjunction with a series of initiator systems already used in commercial materials.

Kinetics of non-catalytic synthesis of bis(2-ethylhexyl)sebacate at high pressures

A synthetic biolubricant ester was synthesized non-catalytically at shorter reaction times and is a greener/sustainable process.

Depolymerization using sonochemical reactors: A critical review

Ultrasonic irradiation has been proposed as a novel approach for degradation of polymer compounds, especially considering the fact that the reduction in the molecular weight (also the intrinsic viscosity) is simply by splitting the most susceptible chemical bond without causing any changes in the chemical nature. An overview of the application of ultrasound for the polymer degradation has been presented in this work, discussing the mechanism of degradation, kinetic modeling, effect of operating parameters and the type of reactors generally used for depolymerization. The effect of important operating parameters such as initial polymer concentration, presence of functional groups in the polymer chain, reaction volume, initial molecular weight, temperature, operating frequency, power dissipation and use of process intensifying additives have been discussed also giving guidelines about selection of the optimum parameters. It has been observed that the low concentrations and higher power dissipation (till an optimum) are favorable resulting in higher extents of degradation. Typically low frequency is recommended but for the case of water soluble polymers, higher frequencies would also give similar results due to the dominant action of chemical effects of cavitation. It has been demonstrated that the alkyl group substituent also affects the degradation rate of polymer. An overview of degradation using combined approach based on ultrasound and additives with comparison with individual approach has also been presented. It has been observed that the main contributing factor for the synergy of the combined approach is the selection of optimum loading of additives. Overall, it has been observed that efficient polymer degradation can be achieved using combined process based on the use of ultrasound.

Influência de estabilizantes na degradação foto-oxidativa de filmes de compósitos de SWy-1/poli(óxido de etileno)

Compósitos de poli(óxido de etileno) (PEO) com argila montmorilonita SWy-1 e estabilizantes (2-hidroxibenzofenona e tinuvin 770) foram preparados pelo método de intercalação em solução. Os filmes obtidos foram expostos a irradiação UV, e os produtos da fotodegradação foram monitorados por FTIR (Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy, ou Espectroscopia no infravermelho por transformada de Fourier) e SEC (Size Exclusion Chromatography, ou cromatografia de exclusão por tamanho). O PEO puro apresentou maior coeficiente de degradação, kd, comparado com as demais amostras. O sistema que apresentou o menor valor para o coeficiente de degradação (kd = 1,9×10–6 mol g–1 h-1) foi o compósito de PEO/5%SWy-1 com 0,25% de tinuvin 770. Nesse caso, a estabilização da matriz de PEO pode ser atribuída à argila juntamente com o tinuvin 770. A argila dispersa e absorve a irradiação UV, e o tinuvin age como estabilizante do tipo HALS (do inglês hindered amine light stabilizer, ou estabilizantes à luz tipo aminas impedidas).

Ultrasonic degradation of poly(methyl methacrylate-co-alkyl acrylate) copolymers

The copolymers, poly(methyl methacrylate-co-methyl acrylate) (PMMAMA), poly(methyl methacrylate-co-ethyl acrylate) (PMMAEA) and poly(methyl methacrylate-co-butyl acrylate) (PMMABA), of different compositions were synthesized and characterized. The effect of alkyl acrylate content, alkyl group substituents and solvents on the ultrasonic degradation of these copolymers was studied. A model based on continuous distribution kinetics was used to study the kinetics of degradation. The rate coefficients were obtained by fitting the experimental data with the model. The linear dependence of the rate coefficients on the logarithm of the vapor pressure of the solvent indicated that vapor pressure is the crucial parameter that controls the degradation process. The rate of degradation increases with an increase in the alkyl acrylate content. At any particular copolymer composition, the rate of degradation follows the order: PMMAMA>PMMAEA>PMMABA. It was observed that the degradation rate coefficient varies linearly with the mole percentage of the alkyl acrylate in the copolymer.

Kinetics of the ultrasonic degradation of poly (alkyl methacrylates)

The influence of the alkyl group substituents on the ultrasonic degradation of poly (alkyl methacrylate)s, namely poly (methyl methacrylate) (PMMA), poly (ethyl methacrylate) (PEMA) and poly (butyl methacrylate) (PBMA) was studied. The rate coefficient increased with an increase in the number of carbon atoms in the alkyl group: thus the order of degradation was PBMA>PEMA>PMMA. This was attributed to the scission of the main chain, which increases with the length of the side chain. The ultrasonic degradation of PBMA was investigated in various solvents, at different temperatures and at different ultrasound intensities. The degradation rate coefficients increased logarithmically with the decrease in vapor pressure and increased linearly with an increase in viscosity of the solvent and ultrasound intensity. The effect of three different initiators, benzoyl peroxide (BPO), dicumyl peroxide (DCP) and azo-bisisobutyronitrile (AIBN) on the ultrasonic degradation of PBMA was also studied. The degradation of the polymer decreased in the presence of the initiator. A continuous distribution model was developed for the radical mechanism involved in degradation and was used to determine the degradation rate coefficients of PBMA in presence of initiator. The model indicated that the degradation rate coefficient of the interaction of the PBMA radical with the initiator is independent of the dissociation constant of the initiator.