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ARS Home » Midwest Area » Peoria, Illinois » National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research » Plant Polymer Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #288087
Title: Impact of reaction conditions on grafting acrylamide onto starch

Author
item Selling, Gordon
item Utt, Kelly

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 2/15/2013
Publication Date: 4/11/2013
Citation: Selling, G.W., Utt, K.D. 2013. Impact of reaction conditions on grafting acrylamide onto starch. Meeting Abstract. xx.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: We have explored the radical initiated graft polymerization reaction of acrylamide onto starch where the solvent, concentration, temperature and reaction times were varied. We have found that the morphology of the resulting grafted polymer is dramatically different and is dependent on the reaction conditions. When the reaction is carried out in water, there is on average one polyacrylamide graft of molecular weight 485,000 per 2300 glucose units (approximately three grafts per starch polymer). When the reaction is carried out in DMSO, there is on average one polyacrylamide graft of molecular weight 48,000 per 260 glucose units (approximately 25 grafts per starch polymer). We have examined the impact of reaction time, reaction temperature, initiator concentration, monomer concentration, and starch concentration on this reaction. While there are many complex interactions, reaction temperature had a consistent impact on the molecular weight (higher temperature reduced graft molecular weight) and the number of glucose units in between grafts on the starch (higher temperature reduced the number of glucose units between grafts; higher graft density). Increasing the amount of initiator reduced the graft molecular weight and decreased the number of glucose units between grafted polyacrylamides on the starch. With increased temperature the number of radicals produced from the initiator will increase in less time, which would lead to both of these results. Reaction time did not have a consistent impact on the product.