Experimental and Theoretical Investigation of the Synthesis and Processing of Bioinspired Poly(Vinyl Benzyl Thymine-co-vinylphenylsulfonate sodium salt)

J VICH BERLANGA; D. A. ESTENOZ; D.M. MARTINO

Los Cocos Cordoba, Argentina

Simposio; ARCHIPOL 2009 V Simpósio Binacional de Polímeros Argentino-Chileno; 2009

Styrene-based biopolymers containing thymine groups chemically attached to the polystyrene structure were experimental- and theoretically investigated. The ionic groups used in one of the comonomers make the polymer water-soluble. When biopolymers are illuminated with UV light (~280nm), a photocyclization reaction between adjacent thymines takes place, rendering it water-insoluble. The crosslinking chemistry of these “bioinspired” polymers is derived from a simple photochemical transformation that occurs in nature: photodimerization reaction 2ð-2ð of thymine in DNA when exposed to UV light. The final properties of the material depend greatly upon the crosslinking degree, which is affected by the curing conditions and the copolymer  molecular characteristics of the copolymer.