Surface modification of poly(GMA-co -EDMA-co -MMA), whose synthesis was performed by copolymerization of 2,3-epoxypropyl methacrylate (GMA), methyl methacrylate (MMA), and ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (EDMA), was compared between aliphatic and aromatic substituted resorcarenes. The copolymer surface was modified by reacting with resorcarenes, and the vibrational properties of the modified copolymers were investigated via attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) and Raman spectroscopies in dry state at room temperature. Those analysis showed that only tetra(p -hydroxyphenyl)resorcarene was linked to the copolymer, the reaction was regioselective with the crown conformer. Additionally, quantification of incorporated macrocyclic was performed, specifically, the maximum fixation of resorcarene in the copolymer was 95% when employing two molar resorcarene excesses per glycidyl residue. The modification was carried out in both acidic and basic medium and it was established that the polymer is modified with the aromatic resorcarene only in basic medium, while the reaction in basic medium with aliphatic resorcarenes produces their corresponding tetrasodium salt.
Keywords:
resorcarene; surface modification; copolymerization; open chain reaction
