Studies on the polymerization of methacrylic acid in the presence of polyvinylpyrrolidone

Abstract

Interaction between polymer molecules has been an important phenomenon of considerable interest in recent years. Assosciation of macromolecular chains is known to be an essential feature in the formation and activity of biopolymers. This article presents some recent results that relate to the nature of interpolymer adduct furmation of polyvinylpyrrolidone. An aqueous solution of PVP. when mixed with PMAA, causes precipitation below pH 4.0. A complex formation between the two polymers in solution reported earlier was shown to be due to the interacting polymers by hydrogen bond formation. Here we discuss the properties of a solid polymer complex prepared by mixing the two homopolymers and polymerizing methacrylic acid in a solulion of PVP. The assosciation between PVP and polyacrylic acid (PAA) has already been investigated, and .. lit! kinetics of polymerization of acrylic acid in the presence of PVP has heen reported. PMAA. differs from PAA by having two substituents on the same carbon, which makes the PMAA chain stiff and gives its tendency to form helical structure; the presence of a methyl group also contributes to intramolecular interaction caused by hydrophobic interaction.