Mechanochemical synthesis of poly(butadiene–b–acrylic acid)

The preparation of block copolymer with polybutadiene, respectively poly(acrylic acid) sequences, using mechanochemical methods was investigated. The synthesis involves the generating of polybutadiene macroradicals, by ultra-high speed stirring of the polymer in toluene solution. The macroradicals are capable to initiate the polymerization of acrylic acid present in the reaction medium, leading to block copolymer formation. The influence of different parameters, such as temperature, duration, acrylic acid/polybutadiene molar ratio, on the yield and composition of the synthesized copolymer was studied.