SYNTHESIS AND CHARACTERIZATION OF HIGHLY CROSS-LINKED POLYACRYLAMIDES AND POLYMETHACRYLAMIDES - A NEW CLASS OF MACROPOROUS POLYAMIDES

The polymerization of N-methylacrylamide (la) and N-methylmethacrylamide (lb) with alkylbis- (acrylamide) and alkyl- and arylbis(methacrylamide) cross-linkers was studied. The polymerizations were carried out in bulk with free-radical initiation (AIBN) in the presence of various solvents (porogens). Non- porous materials resulted from polymerizations with cross-linkers that contained flexible tethers. Cross- linkers with rigid hydrocarbon or aromatic tethers gave rise to macroporous materials. The more polar solvents (H2O, MeOH) produced materials with higher surface area and internal pore volume than those of identical materials prepared with less polar solvents (DMSO). Analysis of the solvatochromic shift of the N, N- (dimethylamino)naphthalenesulfonamide (dansyl) probe, covalently incorporated into the Polyacrylamide networks, revealed that these matrices are permeable to polar solvents and less permeable to nonpolar solvents. Functionalization of these materials is readily achieved by copolymerization using suitably functionalized monomers. © 1990, American Chemical Society. All rights reserved.