Photopolymerization of <i>N</i>, <i>N</i>‐Didodecyl‐ <i>N</i>‐methyl‐<i>N</i>‐ethylmethacrylate ammonium chloride, a reverse micelle forming surfactant

Abstract

Abstract A detailed study of the photopolymerization of N,N ‐didodecylmethylethylmethacrylate ammonium chloride, a reverse micelle forming surfactant, is presented. The polymerization was photochemically initiated at 350 nm using AIBN and p ‐AIBN as initiators. However, the polymerization could also be initiated through direct excitation of the methacrylate group. High rates of polymerization resulted because of the organization of the monomer in reverse micellar assemblies. The molecular weights of the polymer decrease with increasing initiator concentration and are always larger than the molecular weight of the reverse micelle. The properties of the monomeric reverse micellar system are compared with those of the polymeric system and show that the dynamic character of the reverse micellar system can be lowered upon polymerization. The properties of the polymeric aggregates, however, differ if a given amount of water is solubilized before or after polymerization. The mean aggregation number of the monomeric and polymeric aggregates as well as the aggregation behaviour of both systems are compared. This comparison suggests that a polymeric aggregate consists of more than one polymer chain.