Crafting of polyelectrolytes onto polyacrylamide by reactive processing

Low-molecular-weight high-charge-density cationic poly diallydimethyl ammon ium chloride (polyDADMAC) was grafted onto nonionic polyacrylamide (PAM) us ing organic peroxide initiators in the molten state carried out in a batch mixer. The graft copolymer can be used as a high performance flocculant. Gl ycerol was selected as a plasticizer. The grafting reaction was characteriz ed in terms of composition, temperature, degree of grafting, and grafting e fficiency. It was found that free radicals on polymer chains were induced b y the decomposition of the initiator. Grafting was produced by free radical recombination termination. The degree of grafting increases with an increa se of the polyDADMAC/PAM feed ratio. However, the grafting efficiency was l ower than 10 wt % in this highly viscous polymer melt system. (C) 1999 John & Wiley & Sons, Inc.