Polymers can be found everywhere—both naturally occurring or artificially synthesized such as starch and toothpaste. New methods for polymer synthesis are at the forefront of materials research due to their ideal mechanical and chemical properties, such as strength, hardness, and durability. Properties can be influenced by polymer length and polymerization conditions. This research investigated a novel dielectric-barrier discharge (DBD), non-thermal plasma-based approach to prepare poly (acrylic acid) (PAA) in situ. The goal was to achieve a reduction in the energy and preparation time required to prepare PAA on specific surfaces such as porous materials, which has proven a challenge for different methods of polymerization such as UV, thermal, and traditional hot plasma polymerization. This work generated data that will provide guidance for the overall efficiency, such as the cost and polymerization time of the DBD plasma approach for the treatment of polymer coatings. This research will study the plasma-initiated polymerization of PAA and display the concept of remote polymerization. This efficient method could be applied in the industrial setting. The DBD plasma-initiated polymerization of AA will be explored with a focus on the kinetics and mechanism of polymerization and we will compare our PAA data to other studies using different polymerization methods.

Dielectric barrier discharge plasma polymerization

Fall 2022 abstracts, posters, and presentations will launch in mid-September.

ACS Fall 2022

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.