A two-step method for obtaining poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAAm) from poly(acrylonitrile) (PAN) was investigated in order to find a feasibility of imparting thermo-responsive property onto textile fiber materials. PAN was converted to poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) by hydrolysis at a first-step, and then PAA was converted to PNIPAAm at a second step via an amidation reaction of PAA with isopropylamine (IPA) in DMF medium using 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethylaminopropyl)
carbodiimide hydrochloride (EDC) and N-hydroxysuccinimide (NHS) as catalysts. High content of carboxylic groups at the first step was obtained by the successive alkaline and acid hydrolysis of PAN. The degree of conversion of PAA to PNIPAAm at the second step was dependent on the amount of catalysts EDC and NHS. PNIPAAm converted from PAA through amidation reaction showed a lower critical solution temperature (LCST) behavior when the conversion was higher than about 53%.
폴리아크릴로니트릴(PAN) 섬유로 된 제품에 열감응 특성을 부여하기 위하여, PAN을 가수분해하여 카복실기를 생성시키고 이를 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethylaminopropyl)carbodiimide hydrochloride(EDC)와 N-히드록시석신이미드(NHS)를 촉매로 하여 이소프로필아민(IPA)과 반응시켜 열감응성 고분자인 폴리(N-이소프로필아크릴아미드)(PNIPAAm)로 전환시키는 방법에 대해 연구하였다. PAN을 알칼리 가수분해시킨 후 산 가수분해를 추가하여 카복실기 함량을 늘릴 수 있었다. 폴리아크릴산(PAA)과 IPA와의 아미드화 반응은 촉매인 EDC와 NHS의 양에 의존하며, PAA 단위가 약 53% 이상 PNIPAAm으로 전환되어야 하한임계용액온도(LCST) 거동을 나타냈다.
Keywords: poly(acrylonitrile); poly(N-isopropylacrylamide); hydrolysis; amidation; isopropylamine.