FORMATION AND STRUCTURAL CHARACTERISTICS OF POROUS ETHYLENE-GLYCOL DIMETHACRYLATE NETWORKS

The relationships between the synthesis conditions and the morphology of ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (EGDM) networks were investigated. EGDM networks were prepared by free-radical polymerization in toluene as a diluent. The networks were characterized by swelling, porosity, and pendant vinyl group content measurements. The accessibility of pendant vinyls to low molecular weight compounds was tested using pyrrolidine as a model reactant. The results show that the polymerization of EGDM in toluene is accompanied by a phase separation in the system. The networks thus obtained are heterogeneous and exhibit an inhomogeneity in the porosity and swelling distributions. Both the weight swelling ratio and the pore volume of the networks increase with increasing monomer dilution. It was also found that the accessibility of pendant vinyls increases as the cross-linking density of the network decreases or as its porosity increases. The results can be explained with the formation of highly cross-linked microgels as the intermediates in the network formation processes. Two equations were derived to predict the equilibrium weight swelling ratio and the pore volume of heterogeneous networks. Satisfactory agreement of the results of measurements with the predictions of the equations was observed.