NANOSTRUCTURED POLYMERIC MATERIALS FROM MICROEMULSION POLYMERIZATION USING POLY(ETHYLENE OXIDE) MACROMONOMER

Transparent nanostructured polymeric materials have been produced from the direct polymerization of bicontinuous microemulsions using the ma cromonomer omega-methoxy-poly(ethylene oxide)(40)-undecyl-alpha-methac rylate (C-1-PEO-C-11-MA-40) as a polymerizable nonionic surfactant. Be sides the PEO macromonomer, the system also consisted of methyl methac rylate (MMA), 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA), water, and the cross -linker ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (EGDMA). Most of the bicontinuo us microemulsions investigated could be gelled within 10 min at 30 deg rees C using a redox initiator. The transparent microemulsions were ev entually transformed to transparent solid polymers. These polymeric ma terials were characterized by thermoporometry, SEM observation, and th e pore size evaluation for the polymer films by PEG filtration. The po re size of these transparent polymeric materials ranges from about 1 t o 10 nm in diameter. It was larger for the systems containing higher r atios of water to HEMA or water to C-1-PEO-C-11-MA-40 and smaller for higher ratios of HEMA to C-1-PEO-C-11-MA-40. The results from PEG filt ration provide the direct evidence that bicontinuous nanostructured po lymeric materials can readily be prepared via the polymerization of th ese nonionic bicontinuous microemulsions.