Abstract:

The feasibility of random copolymer P（AA-co-BA） as polymeric surfactant was studied. Five kinds of random copolymer P（AA-co-BA） were successfully synthesized by free radical solution polymerization with acrylic acid （AA） and butyl acrylate （BA） as monomers, and the products showed good thermal stability. The critical micelle concentration （cmc） of the polymers were tested and compared by surface tension method and conductivity method. The results showed that, the cmc values obtained by the two methods were consistent; while, although the conductivity method was more simple and convenient, the surface tension method was more suitable for studying the surface activity of substances. When the monomer m（BA）∶m（AA）=1∶10~1∶5, the cmc of the polymer was 0.6~0.9 g/L, and the corresponding surface tension was 44.8~49.5 mN/m, which showed that the random copolymer P（AA-co-BA） with appropriate feed ratio could be used as polymeric surfactant.

Key words: polymeric surfactant, random copolymer, surface activity, surface tension, conductivity