Issue 4, 2002

Abstract

Atom Transfer Radical Polymerisation (ATRP) has been used to polymerise ammonium 2-sulfatoethyl methacrylate (SEM) in aqueous media using various poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) macro-initiators to give a range of controlled-structure, sulfate-based block copolymers. Such PEG–SEM diblock copolymers are effective crystal habit modifiers for the in situ precipitation of BaSO4 in dilute aqueous solution. In the presence of the PEG–SEM copolymer, near-monodisperse, lozenge-shaped BaSO4 particles were obtained, depending on the relative block lengths. X-Ray diffraction and thermogravimetric analysis of these particles demonstrated that they are polycrystalline in nature and contain around 8% copolymer by mass. This compares with the characteristic polydisperse rectangular platelets of single crystal BaSO4 obtained in the absence of the copolymer. Control experiments suggest that, while only the SEM block interacts directly with the particle surface, the PEG block also plays an important role in controlling the crystal growth. Independent variation of the PEG and SEM block lengths therefore provides a subtle mechanism for controlling the morphology, size distribution and crystalline structure of the inorganic phase.

Graphical abstract: Synthesis of controlled-structure sulfate-based copolymers via atom transfer radical polymerisation and their use as crystal habit modifiers for BaSO4

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
09 Jan 2002
Accepted
19 Feb 2002
First published
04 Mar 2002

J. Mater. Chem., 2002,12, 890-896

Synthesis of controlled-structure sulfate-based copolymers via atom transfer radical polymerisation and their use as crystal habit modifiers for BaSO4

K. L. Robinson, J. V. M. Weaver, S. P. Armes, E. D. Marti and F. C. Meldrum, J. Mater. Chem., 2002, 12, 890 DOI: 10.1039/B200348C

To request permission to reproduce material from this article, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Spotlight

Advertisements