Preparation of PMMA grafted aluminum powder by surface-initiated in situ polymerization

Poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) grafted aluminum powder was successfully prepared by surface-initiated in situ polymerization. The process was divided into two steps: adsorption of initiator and polymerization of monomer. It was found that the driving force of adsorption between initiator and aluminum was due to electrostatic force, not chemical bonding, and the percentage of adsorption (PA) and adsorption efficiency (AE) would reach as high as 31.2% and 52.0%, respectively. As for the process of in situ polymerization, the conversion of monomer (C), percentage of grafting (PG) and grafting efficiency (GE) were investigated by evolved hydrogen detection. It was shown that the PG and GE obtained were consistent with those calculated through TGA analysis.