A Study of Montmorillonite Effect on Atom Transfer Radical Polymerization Kinetics in a Miniemulsion Medium

Poly (styrene-butyl acrylate)/clay nanocomposite was synthesized by activators generated by electron transfer (AGET) for atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP). The chemical composition of the samples was studied by infra red-Furier transformation (FT-IR) spectroscopy. Number- and weight-average molecular weights of the resultant copolymer nanocomposites and their molecular weight distributions were determined by gel permeation chromatography (GPC). The polydispersity index of the nanocomposites were lower than 1.2. The effect of the nanoclay layers on the kinetics of ATRP was investigated by using a plot of ln ([M0]/[M]) versus time of the reaction and also control over the polymerization was investigated by linear relation between number-average molecular weight and monomer conversion. All of the studies confirmed the controlled/living characteristics of the AGET ATRP in the miniemulsion medium. Because of the hindrance effect of the nanoclay layers on the diffusion of the monomers toward the growing macroradicals, the rate of the polymerization decreased.