I am currently attempting to synthesize a polymer from NIPAM and Bis capable of undergoing mechanical composition tests. This requires a solid polymer, sturdy enough to be subject to forces exceeding 20 pounds. I have currently synthesized PNIPAM by polymerizing 1.5 g of NIPAM with 0.2 grams of Bis with TEMED and Potassium Persulfate as initiators and catalysts, with retrospect to 15 mL of solvent. Currently, this process resulted in the synthesis of a polymer which was pliable and unable to withstand large forces before tearing. If I wanted to create a more sturdy polymer, what concentrations of Bis and NIPAM should be used? Should the amount of cross-linker, Bis, go up? Or should I increase the amount of NIPAM?
Dear Ani Reddy, you should incease the Bis%, say above 10% with respect to NIPAM. Mechanical properties go up with increasing the crosslink density. My Regards
I would say try to increase the Bis ratio as much as possible (there is a solubility issue for the Bis!) and decrease the solvent amount. By the way, a high initiator ratio leads to a vulnerable short-chain polymer. So, keep it lower.
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