Functional Acrylic Resins Prepared via Photo-Induced Telomerization Using Tetrabromomethane as Telogen

Mateusz Weisbrodt; Agnieszka Kowalczyk; Beata Schmidt; Tomasz J Idzik; Jacek G Sośnicki

doi:10.3390/ma16247650

Functional Acrylic Resins Prepared via Photo-Induced Telomerization Using Tetrabromomethane as Telogen

Materials (Basel). 2023 Dec 14;16(24):7650. doi: 10.3390/ma16247650.

Authors

Mateusz Weisbrodt¹, Agnieszka Kowalczyk¹, Beata Schmidt¹, Tomasz J Idzik¹, Jacek G Sośnicki¹

Affiliation

¹ Department of Chemical Organic Technology and Polymeric Materials, Faculty of Chemical Technology and Engineering, West Pomeranian University of Technology in Szczecin, 70-322 Szczecin, Poland.

Abstract

Novel method of obtaining functional acrylic resins (FARs) containing carboxyl- and benzophenone groups (in-chain functionalization) and terminal Br atoms was verified. Acrylic oligomers were prepared by a solution-free, UV-initiated telomerization process of basic monomer (n-butyl acrylate) and functional monomers (acrylic acid and 4-acrylooxybenzophenone) in the presence of radical photoinitiator and different amount of tetrabromomethane (CBr₄) as telogen. The effect of telogen content on UV-telomerization kinetics as well as physicochemical and thermal (T_g) properties of FARs was investigated. A telogen content higher than 5 wt. parts does not affect the UV-telomerization rate (photo-DSC), the molecular weights of telomers (GPC), or their glass transition temperature (DSC), but it significantly increases the conversion of monomers (up to 88%) and lowers the viscosity of FARs (approx. 6 Pa·s). NMR studies confirmed the inclusion of CBr₄ in the structure of functional acrylic telomers.

Keywords: acrylic resins; photopolymerization; telomerization; tetrabromomethane.

Grants and funding

The APC was supported by Rector of the West Pomeranian University of Technology in Szczecin for PhD students of the Doctoral School, grant number: ZUT/6/2023.