Entrapment of PMMA polymer strands in micro- and mesoporous materials

The synthesis of host-guest composites consisting of entrapped strands of poly(methylmethacrylate) (PMMA) within the pores of inorganic hosts is described. Methyl methacrylate was adsorbed into microporous hosts including zeolite NaY, mordenite, beta, and ZSM-5 and then polymerized. Adsorption and polymerization was also performed in the mesoporous materials MCM-41 and MCM-48. The adsorption of methyl methacrylate (MMA) and its conversion to PMMA was followed by FTIR spectroscopy. Nitrogen sorption isotherms confirm the filling of the micro- and mesopores with the polymer. Thermogravimetry (TGA) shows that the polymer content of the composites increases with increasing pore volume, while no polymer deposition on the external host surface is detected with scanning and transmission electron microscopy. The polymers confined in the 6-35 Angstrom diameter channels of the hosts do not show characteristic bulk behavior with respect to their glass transition temperature.