Modified CMC: Part1-Optimized Synthesis of Carboxymethyl cellulose-g-Polyacrylonitrile

As the first part of a continued research on conversion of carboxymethyl cellulosesodium salt (CMC) to useful biopolymer-based materials, large numbers of cyanide functional groups were introduced onto CMC by grafting with polyacrylonitrile (PAN). The graft copolymerization reactions were carried out under nitrogen atmosphere using ceric ammonium nitrate (CAN) as an initiator. Evidence of grafting was obtained by comparing FTIR spectra of CMC and the graft copolymer as well as solubility characteristics of the products. The synthetic conditions were systematically optimized through studying the effective factors including temperature and concentrations of initiator, acrylonitrile monomer, and CMC. The overall activation energy for the grafting was estimated to be 39.7 kJ/mole. Finally, the CMC-g-PAN copolymer was characterized thermally by using differential scanning calorimetry and thermogravimetric analysis methods.