Phase-Transfer Photopolymerization of Methyl Methacrylate with N-Cetylpyridinium Chloride-KSCN-CCl4 in an Aqueous-Organic Two-Phase System.

Abstract

Phase-transfer photopolymenzation of methyl methacrylate (MMA) with Ncetylpyridinium chloride (CPC)-KSCN-CCl4 was investigated in an aqueous-organic twophase system and Schemes 1 and 2 were proposed as an initiating mechanism for the photopolymerization. At first stage the polymerization of MMA was photoinitiated by Ncetylpyridinium thiocyanate (CPT) in the interface domain to the intermediary polymer with low molecular weight, and at second stage photoinitiated by the intermediary polymer in the organic bulk phase to poly MMA with high molecular weight. Photo-oligomenzation of MMA with CPC-KSCN in the aqueous system was also performed. When ethyl acetate added to the aqueous system as a solvent, the oligomers were obtained without any formation of polymer. By chromatographic separation one of oligomers was identified to be a tetramer of MMA which has a SCN group as both end groups. These results also suggested that the photopolymerization with CPC-KSCN-CCl4 in the aqueous-organic twophase system would be initiated by CPT at first stage.