Mechanism of plasma polymerization of methyl methacrylate

Conference · Fri Dec 31 04:00:00 EST 1993

OSTI ID:141620

Denes, F; Sarmadi, A M; Hop, C E.C.A.; Young, R A ^[1]

---

1. Univ. of Wisconsin, Madison, WI (United States)

Molecular fragments from radio-frequency plasma polymerization of methylmethacrylate (MMA) were cold-trapped and characterized by gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy (GC/MS). The gas phase and the liquid phase products from the cold trap were analyzed separately. The gas phase contained a predominance of the saturated aliphatic compounds butane, pentane, and isopentane and unsaturated l-butene, in addition to saturated MMA monomer (methyl isobutyrate); the liquid phase contained mainly isopropenyl alcohol, saturated MMA and a methylated form of the saturated MMA. Calculations of the predominant plasma-generated molecular clusters using the CG/MS data for both the gas and liquid phases indicated that saturated and unsaturated propyl radicals (molecular weight 41-43) were by far the predominant radical species in the plasma reactions and would lead to a hydrocarbon-type polymer with considerable unsaturation and crosslinking. The occurrence of other radical species containing methyl ester and hydroxyl groups accounts for the presence of these functional groups in the final polymer. Infrared and ultraviolet spectra confirmed the participation of the predominant aliphatic radicals in the formation of PPMMA. Clearly PPMA is a distinctly different polymer when compared to conventional PMMA.

• OSTI ID: 141620
• Report Number(s): CONF-930304--
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
40 CHEMISTRY
CHEMICAL RADIATION EFFECTS
CHEMICAL REACTION KINETICS
METHYL METHACRYLATE
POLYMERIZATION
QUALITATIVE CHEMICAL ANALYSIS
RADIOWAVE RADIATION