Synthesis, Curing and Applications of Bioinspired Polymers Based on Vinylbenzyl Thymine

ALEJANDRO BARBARINI; DÉBORA MARTINO; MARISA SPONTÓN; GREGORIO MEIRA; DIANA ESTENOZ

Cancún

Congreso; XX International Materials Research Congress; 2011

Materials Research Society

Syntheses of VBT–VBA random copolymers at various comonomer ratio and initiator concentrations were carried out at 65 ºC using isopropanol as solvent. Samples were taken along the reactions to determine the monomer conversion, chemical composition and molecular weight distribution. The comonomers exhibited similar reactivities and random copolymers with different chemical compositions were obtained. The curing process involved the irradiation of the copolymer films with short UV light (254 nm) for different times. Cross-linked areas becomes insoluble due to increased molecularweight leading to film immobilization on the substrate, while uncross-linked regions maybe removed by washing with water. The light-induced crosslinking reaction was followed by UV-vis spectroscopy and the immobilization point was determined. The kinetics of the crosslinking process pointed to a second-order process with respect to thymine concentration. The experimental results provide complementary information on photo-induced immobilization of VBT–VBA films that are crucial for developing new classes of environmentally benign materials.