Synthesis and Characterization of Porous Crosslinked Copolymers for Oil Spill Sorption

Abstract

AbstractCinnamoyloxy ethyl methacrylate (CEMA) was copolymerized with different monomer feed ratios of octadecyl acrylate (ODA) and crosslinked using azobisisobutyronitrile (AIBN) as the initiator and N,N’,N”-trisacryloyl melanine (AM) or N,N’,N”,-trismethacryloylmelanine (MM) crosslinkers. The networks are characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA). For crosslinked CEMA/ODA copolymer sol fraction values are lower when MM is used rather than AM. The thermal stability of crosslinked network increases with increasing ODA concentration and also in the presence of MM crosslinker, a consequence of higher crosslinking density. SEM results show a porous structure; micropores are formed when ODA contents increases. According to DMA results, the flexibility of the network is enhanced by incorporation of MM rather than AM. Since our crosslinked networks are both flexible and porous, they are applicable as oil sorber networks to alleviate pollution from oil spills.