Graft modification of starch nanoparticles using nitroxide-mediated polymerization and the grafting from approach

Jaime C Cazotti; Alexander T Fritz; Omar Garcia-Valdez; Niels M B Smeets; Marc A Dubé; Michael F Cunningham

doi:10.1016/j.carbpol.2019.115384

Graft modification of starch nanoparticles using nitroxide-mediated polymerization and the grafting from approach

Carbohydr Polym. 2020 Jan 15:228:115384. doi: 10.1016/j.carbpol.2019.115384. Epub 2019 Sep 30.

Authors

Jaime C Cazotti¹, Alexander T Fritz¹, Omar Garcia-Valdez¹, Niels M B Smeets², Marc A Dubé³, Michael F Cunningham⁴

Affiliations

¹ Department of Chemical Engineering, Queen's University, 19 Division St, Kingston, Ontario K7L 3N6, Canada.
² EcoSynthetix Inc., 3365 Mainway, Burlington, Ontario, L7M 1A6, Canada.
³ Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Centre for Catalysis Research and Innovation, University of Ottawa, 161 Louis Pasteur Pvt., Ottawa, Ontario, K1N 6N5, Canada.
⁴ Department of Chemical Engineering, Queen's University, 19 Division St, Kingston, Ontario K7L 3N6, Canada. Electronic address: michael.cunningham@queensu.ca.

PMID: 31635732
DOI: 10.1016/j.carbpol.2019.115384

Abstract

Starch nanoparticles (SNP) are attracting increased attention as a renewable bio-based alternative to petroleum-based polymers in the materials community. In this work, we describe the grafting from of SNP with synthetic polymers via nitroxide-mediated polymerization (NMP). Varying amounts of poly(methyl methacrylate-co-styrene) (P(MMA-co-S)), poly(methyl acrylate) (PMA) and poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) were grafted from the surface of SNP in a three-step process. The grafting of synthetic polymers from the surface of SNP was confirmed by FTIR, ¹H NMR, elemental analysis and thermogravimetric analysis. These new tailor-made starch-based hybrid materials could find use in paper coatings, adhesives, paints, as well as in polymer latex applications.

Keywords: Grafting from; Hybrid materials; Nitroxide-mediated polymerization; Starch nanoparticles.