Synthesis and Characterization of Copolymers from Diallyldimethylammonium Hexafluorophosphate and Methyl Methacrylate

This work presents the radical copolymerization of diallyldimethylammonium hexafluorophosphate (DADMA(PF6)) and methyl methacrylate (MMA) with minimal added solvent. The ion exchange of DADMAC from chloride to hexafluorophosphate yielded a water-insoluble form of the ammonium monomer that is soluble in MMA. Copolymerizations were successfully carried out over a wide range of monomer feed ratios, which correlated strongly to the composition of the final copolymer and made it possible to incorporate large percentages of either monomer. Studies of copolymer composition at a range of reaction times indicated that the incorporation of MMA was slightly favored over that of DADMA(PF6). While all copolymers formed water -insoluble stand-alone films, qualitative examination of the films demonstrated that those with high incorporations of MMA had greater flexibility and optical clarity. A facile, reproducible polymerization method developed herein produced copolymers containing diallyldimethylammonium moieties that can be processed into water-insoluble polymer films for potential membrane applications.