Synthesis, electron irradiation modification and characterization of polyethylene/poly(butyl methacrylate-co-methyl methacrylate) interpenetrating polymer network

Abstract

The present work reports the preparation of a porous structure by electron beam irradiation of interpenetrating polymer network (IPN) based on polyethylene and poly(methyl methacrylate‐co‐butyl methacrylates). Thin IPN films were synthesized by in situ polymerization. Low‐density polyethylene (PE) was used as the first IPN component, and the second IPN component was formed by copolymerization of methyl methacrylate and butyl methacrylate. After the synthesis the methacrylic phase is finely dispersed in a PE matrix. Porous films of these materials were obtained by decomposition of the polymethacrylate phase by means of electron radiation followed by extraction with xylene. The thermal stability in N2 atmosphere of the irradiated and extracted IPN was improved compared with the unirradiated samples. Three temperature regions of weight loss were observed, two of them caused by the copolymer and one by the PE. The lowering of the melting temperature of PE observed by differential scanning calorimetry analysis indicated an increase in crosslinking caused by irradiation. Morphology changes were studied by scanning electron microscopy which revealed a porous surface structure of the irradiated and extracted samples. Flux measurements showed that some irradiated samples were permeable to ethanol, demonstrating an interconnected porous structure which may be relevant for membranes. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Atom‐Transfer Radical Polymerization: A Strategy for the Synthesis of Halogen‐Free Amino‐Functionalized Poly(methyl methacrylate) in a One‐Pot Reaction

“…A partial weight loss of about 5% occurs by ca. 200 °C, certainly caused mainly by the evaporation of low‐molecular‐weight products44 and by decomposition of head‐to‐head coupling products mainly formed at early polymerization stages. The two main degradation steps at ca.…”

Membrane properties of microporous structures prepared from polyethylene/polymethacrylate IPN

“…It is reasonable that samples with a co‐continuous morphology become permeable. However, in our previous works,8–12 a matrix–particle morphology was observed for most of the studied IPN, especially for the PE/BMA‐co‐MMA IPN systems. Although PE is always the minor phase, it forms the matrix surrounding the closely packed PMA spheres as thin walls.…”

“…In amphoteric membranes for liquid separation, the selectivity is enhanced because the neighboring nontransporting phase hinders the swelling of the transporting phase, thus restricting the so‐called plasticization effect 7. In this work we used IPNs based on PE and PMA, which are very incompatible with each other and typically show a two‐phase morphology 8–12. The development of membrane materials from this type of IPN was accomplished by taking advantage of the different behavior of the IPN components under irradiation.…”

Polycarbonate microfilters by nuclear tracking and chemical etching (track‐etching) technique: Preparation and characterization

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“…Template‐leaching13–18 is the technique suitable for preparing porous membranes from polymers, which do not dissolve in common organic solvents. In this technique, a homogeneous film is prepared from a mixture of membrane matrix material and a leachable component.…”