SYNTHESIS AND PROPERTIES OF ACRYLIC CARRIERS FROM ACRYLONITRILE, VINYL-ACETATE AND DIVINYLBENZENE TERPOLYMERS

Two series of carriers based on acrylonitrile (AN)-vinyl acetate (VA)-divinylbenzene (DVB) terpolymers were obtained by aminolysis of nitrile groups to N-alkylamino ones. In the first series, the terpolymers differed in the content of VA units (7.5, 10, 20, and 30 mol. %). The modifying diluents used in the polymerization stage were: hexadecane (HD) and toluene (T). In the second series, the modifying diluents were: cyclohexanol (C), octanol (0), decanol (D), 2-ethylhexanol (E), and benzyl alcohol (B). The content of VA units was constant (20 mol. %). The IR spectra revealed that the aminolysis of nitrile groups of the terpolymers to N-ethylamino ones was accompanied by hydrolysis of the ester groups. The carriers with hydroxy groups, however, did not swell more than those obtained from AN-DVB copolymers. The concentration of amino groups was approximately 1.8 mmol/g and the porosity was in the range 0.1-0.5, depending on the kind of diluent used in polymerization. The structural parameters of the carriers were characterized by the inverse GPC method with dextran solutions. The pore size (mean pore diameter) and its distribution width decreased with increasing VA unit content for the series HDT-7.5-HDT-30. In the second series, the porosity characteristics depended on the molecular shape of the thermodynamically bad diluent used. Acylase immobilized on those carriers had smaller activity than that immobilized on previously described carriers, whereas for glucoamylase and peroxydase the results of immobilization were very promising.