Study on Graft Copolymerization of Chitosan with Methyl Acrylate and Methyl Methacrylate

The graft copolymerization of chitosan with methyl acrylate(MA) and methyl methacrylate(MMA) was carried out using the initiator of(NH_4)_2Ce(NO_3)_6(CAN).The structure and the thermal property of the graft copolymer were characterized by IR and TG.The effects of reaction temperature,reaction time and contents of initiator,chitosan,MA and MMA on grafting ratio were studied,and the optimal conditions for getting the highest grafting ratio were determined.The results showed that the grafting ratio increased first and then decreased with the increase of any one of the above experimental conditions.The optimal graft copolymerization conditions were:reaction temperature,80(°C);reaction time,120 min;contents of initiator,chitosan,MA and MMA,0.80 g,0.08 g and 5 mL respectively.