A CATIONIC POLYACRYLAMIDE DISPERSION SYNTHESIS BY DISPERSION POLYMERIZATION IN AQUEOUS SOLUTION

A cationic polyacrylamide (CPAM) dispersion, the copolymer of acrylamide (AM) and acryloyloxyethyltrimethyl ammonium chloride (DAC), has been synthesized through dispersion polymerization in aqueous ammonium sulfate ((NH4)2SO4) solution. The polymerization was initiated by tert-butyl hydroperoxide (TBHP) and ferrisulfas (FeSO4) using poly(dimethyl diallyl ammonium chloride) (PDMDAAC) as the stabilizer. At the optimal reaction conditions, the relative molecular weight of the CPAM dispersion was 4.2×106, its charge density was 2.2 mmol g-1, its average particle size was 6.01 μm, and its stability and dissolvability were both excellent. The CPAM dispersion was characterized using Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, and differential scanning calorimeter (DSC). Results indicated that the copolymerization was successful.