Frontal polymerization with monofunctional and difunctional ionic liquid monomers

Abstract

For the first time, we studied frontal polymerization with ionic liquid monomers. We synthesized a series of compounds from the neutralization reaction between trialkylamines (tributylamine, trihexylamine, trioctylamine, and (2-dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate) and acrylic or methacrylic acid. For the ionic liquids prepared from the unreactive amines, frontal polymerization could not be achieved without the addition of a diacrylate. With the addition of a diacrylate, the front velocities were slower than for dodecyl acrylate (with the diacrylate), a compound of comparable molecular weight. Monomers prepared from the (2-dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate could support frontal polymerization alone but the front velocities were lower than dodecyl (meth)acrylate. These results are contrasted with recent results of Jiménez et al. for room temperature kinetics. Finally, the polymers prepared were comparable to those prepared by batch curing at 75 °C except for the monomethacrylate ionic liquid, which lost some tertiary amine by dissociation and evaporation. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 45: 2745–2754, 2007