Surface-initiated controlled radical polymerizations (SI-CRP) in polar media, especially water, are often observed to be accelerated in comparison to those in nonpolar media. Moreover, the adsorption of neutral polymers onto charged colloids has a pronounced effect on their zeta potential due to excluded volume in the electrical double layer (EDL). Cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs), derived from natural resources, offer a highly charged interface to examine possible electrical double layer effects on SI-CRP in aqueous media. Here, we monitored copper-mediated SI-CRP from partially charged CNCs in aqueous media by way of zeta potential measurements. To this end, we utilized a hydrophilic uncharged monomer, namely N,N-dimethylacrylamide (DMAM), and copper complexes with N-type ligands. We further characterized PDMAM brushes grafted from CNCs via FTIR and TGA. Molecular weight of PDMAM brushes was determined by GPC analysis of hydrolytically cleaved polymers. We emphasize the role of surface chemistry on the accelerated growth of polymer brushes from CNCs in water and expand a model of the interfacial region during polymer brush propagation.

Effect of the electrical double layer on surface-initiated controlled radical polymerization from cellulose nanocrystals in aqueous media

249th National Meeting (2015)

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