TEMPLATE POLYMERIZATION OF N-VINYLIMIDAZOLE ALONG POLY(METHACRYLIC ACID) IN WATER .6. CROSS-LINKED PMAA AS TEMPLATE

The effect of crosslinked poly (methacrylic acid) (c-PMAA) on the polymerization of N-vinylimidazole in aqueous solution was studied using UV, calorimetry, SEM, and TEM. It was established that synthetic lightly crosslinked PMAA samples behaved intermediate between rigid crosslinked PMAA particles functioning as microreactors, and linear conventional PMAA, where template and conventional polymerization in the surrounding solution are integrated. A modified calorimetric technique was used to measure monomer conversion, and to correct for the rapid adsorption process. Rate enhancements up to a factor of 4 were obtained for the c-PMAA's, which were lower than those obtained for linear conventional PMAA, and which slightly decreased with increasing crosslink density of the samples. Template complexes possessed a platelet-like morphology similar to template complexes obtained for linear PMAA.