Abstract
Molecular weight (degree of polymerization) of the polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) contained in the PMMA-grafted linen was investigated. The sample was obtained by the polymerization in the absence of radical initiator. The PMMA contained in the grafted linen was isolated from backbone polymer by acid hydrolysis, and its intrinsic viscosity was measured in acetone solution.
With increasing polymerization time, degree of polymerization increased, attained a maximum, and then decreased. The number of PMMA branches per cellulose chain increased with increasing time.
The degree of polymerization and number of PMMA branches per cellulose chain were affected by the emulsifiers. The degree of polymerization decreased in general with increasing concentration of emulsifier. When Neugen YX-500 was used as emulsifier, the number of PMMA branches per cellulose chain increased with concentration of emulsifier, attained a maximum, and then decreased. In the case of other emulsifiers, the number of PMMA branches per cellulose chain varied with emulsifiers. The degree of polymerization of the PMMA branches was higher than that of the nongrafted PMMA.
