Micellar polymerization of alkylammonium 2-acrylamido-2-methylpropane sulfonates in the solvents of different polarities and properties of resulting polyelectrolyte-surfactant complexes

Polymerization of formerly described novel surfmers polymerizable by counterion has been reported. Dodecylammonium, cetylammonium, and cetyltrimethylammonium 2-acrylamido-2-methylpropane sulfonates were polymerized in water-dioxane mixtures in a wide range of concentrations of the solvents and in some organic solvents as well. The resulting polyelectrolyte-surfactant complexes precipitated from water-dioxane mixtures. Molecular weights and polymerization yields of the products were the highest at high and low water contents in the reaction mixture, whereas the lowest polymerization degrees and yields conform to solutions, containing 20 % of water. It has been found that the morphology of the precipitated aggregates formed in low-polarity solvents differs considerably from that formed in water. Polymerization in organic media depends strongly on the polarity of the solvent. Contributions of electrostatic and hydrophobic interactions in the structure formation of the complexes were estimated qualitatively.