Ultraviolet-induced crosslinking of solid poly(ethylene oxide)

✍ Scribed by M. Doytcheva; D. Dotcheva; R. Stamenova; A. Orahovats; Ch. Tsvetanov; J. Leder

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1997
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 367 KB
• Volume: 64
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0021-8995
• DOI: 10.1002/(sici)1097-4628(19970620)64:12<2299::aid-app5>3.0.co;2-g

✦ Synopsis

Poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) of molecular weight from 200,000 to 2,000,000 was crosslinked by exposure to ultraviolet radiation with a high-pressure 150 W mercury lamp. Photochemical crosslinking of PEO proceeds in the presence of photoinitiators such as benzophenone and acetophenone which act as a hydrogen-abstracting agent. Gel fraction yield exceeds 90%, and the number-average molecular weight between crosslinks determined by equilibrium swelling in chloroform varies from 3,000 to 100,000. The degree of crosslinking can be controlled by changing the irradiation temperature.