Composites Prepared by the Anionic Polymerization of Ethyl 2-Cyanoacrylate within Supercritical Carbon Dioxide−Swollen Poly(tetrafluoroethylene-co-hexafluoropropylene)

Abstract

Supercritical carbon dioxide (SC CO2) was used as an aid in fabricating polymer/polymer composites. Using a two-stage process, ethyl 2-cyanoacrylate (ECA) monomer was anionically polymerized within poly(tetrafluoroethylene-co-hexafluoropropylene) substrates. The composite fabrication process involved first infusing triphenylphosphine (the initiator) into the substrate using SC CO2. In the second step, monomer was introduced (again using SC CO2) to the substrate. As the monomer absorbed into the initiator-containing substrate, it polymerized. The composite surfaces were characterized using surfaceselective techniques. The mechanical performance of the composites was determined by measuring the adhesive fracture toughness of the composites. The locus of failure of fractured interfaces of composites with epoxy was determined by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy.

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“…If the solute is a reactive monomer, the SC‐CO 2 ‐assisted impregnation can be followed by polymerizations, and so it is possible to prepare a massive composite15–18 or a surface‐modified organic polymer compound19–21 or to induce the grafting of suitable polar monomers onto the polymer backbone 22…”

Materials processing in supercritical carbon dioxide: surfactants, polymers and biomaterialsElectronic supplementary information (ESI) available: video clips relating to work carried out in the Howdle research group. See http://www.rsc.org/suppdata/jm/b3/b315262f/

“…94 Kung et al investigated recently the modification of a fluoropolymer surface with poly(ethyl 2-cyanoacrylate) (PECA) by anionic polymerisation in scCO 2 . 105 The technique described previously for preparing polymer blends 91 was modified in this work to encourage the formation of a composite surface. The polymer substrate was first soaked in a solution of nucleophilic initiator (pyridine or triphenylphosphine) in scCO 2 .…”

High-pressure CO2-enhanced polymer interdiffusion and dissolution studied with in situ ATR-FTIR spectroscopic imaging

“…Implications to this favourable interaction of high-pressure CO 2 with glassy and semi-crystalline polymers include viscosity reduction of the bulk polymer phase [2,3], extrusion [4,5], polymer foaming [6,7], and polymer blend formation [8,9]. The benefits that CO 2 provides in these examples may be anticipated to extend to enhancing/accelerating the interdiffusion in miscible polymer systems as a direct consequence of plasticisation and viscosity reduction of the polymer components.…”