Novel Poly(N,N-dimethylaminoethylmethacrylate)-Based Amphiphilic Copolymers for Stabilization of Soil Materials

RAFT polymerization was applied for the synthesis of hydrophilic poly(N,N-dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate) and random copolymers of N,N-dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate, containing 5 or 10 mol % of hydrophobic monomers methyl acrylate, methyl methacrylate, or butyl acrylate. The influence of chemical nature of hydrophobic comonomer and the copolymer composition on physico-chemical properties of polymers and their ability to strengthen friable (bulk) materials like quartz sand, clay, or limestone was systematically studied. It is shown that synthesized copolymers have relatively low glass transition temperatures, form aggregatively stable molecular solutions in water in a wide range of pH values, and have a pronounced surface activity, while their dried films demonstrate water-repellent properties. It is found that amphiphilic copolymers with a small content of hydrophobic comonomer units are much more effective as stabilizers of soils (bulk materials) in terms of mechanical strength and durability than the original hydrophilic homopolymer.