Direct incorporation of carbon dioxide into poly(glycidyl methacrylate-co-acrylonitrile) using quaternary ammonium salt catalyst and its application to polymer blends

The study is related to an integrated process for the utilization of carbon dioxide to polymer blends via a copolymer bearing cyclic carbonate group. Poly glycidyl methacrylate-co-acrylonitrile) [poly(PGMA-co-AN)] was converted to a polyl(2-oxo-1.3-dioxolane-4-yl) methyl methacrylate-co-acrylonitrile] [poly(DOMA-co-AN)] by the polymer reaction with carbon dioxide using quaternary ammonium salt as a catalyst. Among the quaternary salts tested, the one having a larger alkyl group and more nucleophilic counter anions, exhibited better catalytic activity in the addition Of CO2 to poly(GMA-co-AN). In a semibatch reaction system, pseudo first-order rate equation agreed with the experimental results. The miscibility of poly(DOMA-co-AN) with styrene/acrylonitrile (SAN, 25 wt% of AN) copolymer or methyl methacrylate/ethylacrylate (MMA-EA. 7 wt% of EA) copolymer has been investigated both by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and visual inspection of the blends. Poly(DOMA-co-AN) formed clear films when blended with SAN or MMA-EA. DSC analysis also showed that poly(DOMA-co-AN) containing blends were miscible in the whole composition ranges, The glass transition temperatures (T-g) of the polymer blends closely matched the Fox equation.