Acrylic Acid Polymers & Copolymers

Acrylic Acid Polymers & Copolymers

Acrylic acid is able to form into a polymer which has a variety of uses. It can also form many different kinds of copolymers, which we will learn about in this lesson.

What is Polyacrylic Acid?

Chances are you have polyacrylic acid somewhere in your house. It can be found in anything from diapers, to mascara, to toothpaste, and hair styling products. It was originally created as a super-absorbent in the mid-20th century, and used for diapers in the late 20th century.

There are several different forms of polyacrylic acid, but the basic form consists of acrylic acid monomers combined together at the double bond to form a carbon chain with a carboxylic acid attachment on every other carbon. This form is a white solid.

Polyacrylic Acid Properties and Structure

Polyacrylic acid is simply a long chain of acrylic acid units connected together. They connect as an addition polymer, which means that no atoms are lost when the units connect together. Instead, the double bond is simply broken, forming two single bonds (the original single bond and new single bond, bonded to another acrylic acid).

Sodium acrylate

Acrylic acid, as we can tell from the name, is an acid. This means that the hydrogen on the OH group can easily be removed, leaving an anion. Most of the time when polyacrylic acid is used, the acrylic acid is in the anion form. Sodium is often added to act as a salt with the anion.

Polyacrylic Acid copolymers

A copolymer is a polymer that has more than one monomer making it up. So, polyacrylic acid copolymers will use acrylic acid and another polymer. Some monomers that form a copolymer with acrylic acid are:

Maleic acid
Ethylene
Acrylamide
Sokalan

Acrylic Acid and Maleic Acid Copolymer

Barium titanate is used in various electromechanical applications, but it doesn't easily remain in suspension. Polyacrylic co maleic acid combines acrylic acid and maleic acid monomers into a polymer to form a dispersion medium and to help hold barium titanate in suspension.

Ethylene and Acrylic Acid Copolymer

Polyacrylic acid co ethylene uses acrylic acid and ethylene (two carbon atoms joined with a double bond) as the monomers. This copolymer is used in food packaging to help foil stick to the rest of the packaging and to protect products from heat. It helps seal packaging together, that is able to withstand high temperatures.

Acrylamide and Acrylic Acid Copolymer

Acrylamide replaces the OH on acrylic acid with NH₂, when it is combined with acrylic acid to form a polymer we form polyacrylic acid co acrylamide. The acrylamide acrylic acid copolymers are used to form nanogels. Nanogels are used for a variety of medical purposes including targeting cancer and tumors, it makes a great storage and transport system for proteins.

Acrylamide and acrylic acid can combine to form a copolymer such as this one Acrylamide acrylic acid copolymer structure.

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