POLYMETHACRYLATES CONTAINING IMMOBILIZED DYE - OPTICAL AND SORPTIONALPROPERTIES

Copolymers of MMA, n-butyl, tert-butyl-, and n-decyl methacrylates wit h styrenesulfone and methacrylate of Brilliant Green were synthesized. The effect of alkyl substituents and copolymer composition on optical absorbance spectra was studied. In the presence of ammonia, the copol ymer films containing immobilized dye were shown to experience reversi ble decolorization. For the copolymers with different composition, dif fusion coefficients of ammonia were calculated. In contrast to the cop olymers, the absorbance spectra of the composite films obtained by mec hanical mixing of poly(alkyl methacrylates) with Brilliant Green oxala te appear to change with time under UV and visible light irradiation, and no complete recovery of their color upon ammonia desorption was ob served. Such difference was accounted for by aggregation of dye molecu les in the composite films and their separation into individual phase.