Polymerization of amphiphilic quaternary ammonium salts of acrylic, methacrylic, and ethacrylic acids

Abstract

The polymerization behavior of dodecyltri-methylammonium methacrylate, and hexadecyltrimethylammonium acrylate, methacrylate and ethacrylate as amphiphilic monomers bearing a polymerizable double bond outside the micelle shell was investigated in micellar solution. Although the monomers did not have spontaneous polymerizability, they polymerized in the presence of both oil-soluble and water-soluble radical initiators, in spite of the difference of the expected location solubilizing initiator molecules. The profit based on micelle-forming of the monomer on the polymerization in water disappeared by the addition of sodium chloride into the polymerizing system due to the increased dissociation between cationic micelles and the polymerizable counter ions.