The influence of monomer molar ratio on the properties of copolymers based on methyl methacrylate and methacrylic acid

Abstract

The application of polymers for controlled drug delivery is influenced by no toxicity and solubility in different pH mediums. There already are existing pharmaceutical medicaments based on aqueous dispersion of an anionic copolymer methyl acrylate, methyl methacrylate and methacrylic acid. The aim of this work was to synthesise copolymers of methyl methacrylate and methacrylic acid and to estimate the effects of monomers ratio (1:1 and 1:2) on the molecular mass, polydispersity index, and solubility of obtained polymers. Acetone was used as a solvent because both monomers and the initiator azobisisobutyronitrile are soluble in it. FTIR method was used for functional group characterization, the gel permeation chromatography method for average molecular weights and the distribution of molecular weights determinations. High pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) was applied for the estimation of residual monomers in obtained copolymers. The titration with ethanol solution of NaOH was used for assessing of monomer units in copolymers. The copolymer with the molar ratio of monomers 1:1 was soluble in water bufer with pH values higher then 6, while the copolymer with the molar ratio of monomers 1:2 was soluble in bufer with pH higher then 9.

Keywords

• radical copolymerization
• methyl methacrylate
• methacrylic acid