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Free‐radical polymerization of urea, acrylic acid, and glycerol in aqueous solutions
Author(s) -
Fernandes Bruno S.,
Carlos Pinto José,
CabralAlbuquerque Elaine C.M.,
Fialho Rosana L.
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
polymer engineering and science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.503
H-Index - 111
eISSN - 1548-2634
pISSN - 0032-3888
DOI - 10.1002/pen.24081
Subject(s) - copolymer , aqueous solution , potassium persulfate , materials science , urea , acrylic acid , polymer chemistry , glycerol , gel permeation chromatography , thermogravimetry , radical polymerization , polymerization , fourier transform infrared spectroscopy , differential scanning calorimetry , chemical engineering , polymer , chemistry , organic chemistry , composite material , engineering , physics , thermodynamics
The main objective of the present study is to produce copolymers of urea, acrylic acid, and glycerol through aqueous solution free‐radical polymerizations and analyze the structural, thermal, rheological, and release properties of the obtained materials. To do this, aqueous solution copolymerizations were performed in different reaction conditions and the obtained copolymers were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, rheological analyses, thermogravimetry, gel permeation chromatography, and rates of urea release in distilled water. The obtained results indicate that all constituents of the reacting mixture (potassium persulfate, glycerol, urea, and acrylic acid) affect the characteristics of the produced copolymers. In particular, it is shown that urea can be incorporated into the final copolymer through the proposed reaction scheme, that glycerol promotes crosslinking of polymer chains and that the obtained copolymer materials can be used in agricultural applications. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 55:1219–1229, 2015. © 2015 Society of Plastics Engineers