Polyethylene glycol diacrylate, synthesis and copolymerization with methyl methacrylate

Abstract

Polyethylene glycol diacrylate (PEGDA) was obtained from the reaction of PEG400 with acryloyl chloride. The structures of PEGDA were characterized by LC-MS, IR, NMR. Comparing the mass spectra of PEG400 and PEGDA showed that the end groups of PEGDA were acrylates. The reaction conditions such as type of solvents, reactants ratio, reaction time were optimized. The highest reaction yield was obtained by using THF as solvent, AcrCl/PEG = 3 and after 1 day.

The radical polymerizations of PEGDA were done in bulk, therefore the viscosity of the reaction was very high, then the reaction yield was only 77% (23% dissolved in acetone). In the copolymerization of PEGDA with MMA, as the concentrations of PEGDA increased, the viscosity of the reaction increased, then the reaction yields decreased (the acetone soluble fractions in the product increased), the swellability in EG increased, and the T_g decreased. All of these changes were caused by the high viscosity of PEGDA and its role as the plasticizer was more important than as the crosslinking agent.