Modification of styrene-divinyl benzene copolymers using monoacrylates as ter-monomer

Porous styrene-divinyl benzene (St-DVB) copolymers were synthesized by incorporation of cyclohexanol during copolymerization. It led to copolymers of high porosity, high surface area and high % swelling. However these copolymers exhibit very poor compressive strength. Therefore they have been modified by terpolymerization in order to achieve styrene-DVB copolymers of adequate compressive strength with high surface area and % swelling. These terpolymers were synthesized by suspension copolymerization of styrene, DVB and variable amount of monoacrylates in presence of cyclohexanol as a diluent. Methylacrylate, ethyl acrylate, butyl acrylate, methylmethacrylate and glycidyl methacrylate were taken as ter-monomers for the present study and influence of these ter-monomers on formation of porous structure of the copolymer was investigated by % swelling, surface area, bulk density, compressive strength measurement and surface morphology. Incorporation of ter-monomers resulted into increased compressive strength and bulk density with adequate surface area and % swelling with the increased content of monoacrylates. Further at constant ter-monomer concentration, physical properties and thermal stability of the ter-polymers were found to be in the order: MMA > MA > EA > BA > GMA.