Polymer modification of ethylene‐acrylic copolymers in near‐critical water

Abstract

Modification reactions are reported for fully-hydrogenated butadiene-acrylonitle (35.8 mol-% AN) copolymer, ethylene(E)-butyl acrylate (4.7 mol-% BA) copolymer, and ethylene(E)-methyl acrylate (45 mol-% MA) copolymer in dense, near-critical water at 250 "C and 300 "C and at 300 bar and 1 500 bar. Nitrile, amide, and ester moieties can be converted into COOH groups. Kinetic analysis of the ester to acid transformations suggests autocatalytic activity of the acid groups.

Recent developments in the utilization of green solvents in polymer chemistry

“…This approach was successfully used in organic chemistry, 208 but only a few attempts have been investigated so far in polymer chemistry utilizing NCW. In the examples reported in literature, NCW was utilized to transform ester, amide and nitrile substituents of ethylene-based polymers into acidic moieties within approximately 3 h. 211 It was found that the ester transformation is auto catalyzed and that a chemical equilibrium is reached with the acid being the major functional group. In case of poly(phenyl-1,2,4-triazine), polymer degradation was observed at the reported conditions due to cleavage of one C-N bond and further hydrolysis.…”