Free Radical Graft Copolymerization of Acrylonitrile onto Sodium Hyaluronate Using Ammonium Persulfate

Abstract

The polysaccharide, sodium hyaluronate, was modified using ammonium persulfate-initiated graft copolymerization of acrylonitrile under inert atmosphere in a homogeneous aqueous medium. Grafting was confirmed using gravimetrically method and solubility test. The effect of various factors affecting on grafting, i.e. concentration of the initiator, monomer and polysaccharide as well as the reaction temperature were studied by conventional methods to achieve the optimum grafting parameters. According to the empirical rates of the polymerization and the graft copolymerization of acrylonitrile acid onto sodium hyaluronate backbone, the overall activation energy of the graft copolymerization reaction was estimated to be 13.4 kJ/ mol.