Synthesis and characterization of polymeric linseed oil grafted methyl methacrylate or styrene

Syntheses of wholly natural polymeric linseed oil (PLO) containing peroxide groups have been reported. Peroxidation, epoxidation and/or perepoxidation reactions of linseed oil, either under air or under oxygen flow at room temperature, resulted in polymeric peroxides, PLO-air and PLO-ofl, containing 1.3 and 3.5 wt.-% of peroxide, with molecular weights of 2 100 and 3 780 Da, respectively. PLO-air contained cross-linked film up to 46.1 wt.-% after a reaction time of 60 d, associated with a waxy, soluble part (PLO-air-s) that was isolated with chloroform extraction. PLO-ofl was obtained as a waxy, viscous liquid without any cross-linked part at the end of 24 d under visible irradiation and oxygen flow. Polymeric peroxides, PLO-air-s and PLO-ofl initiated the free radical polymerization of both methyl methacrylate (MMA) and styrene (S) to give PMMA-graft-PLO and PS-graft-PLO graft copolymers in high yields with Mw varying from 37 to 470 kDa. The polymers obtained were characterized by FT-IR, (1)H NMR, TGA, DSC and GPC techniques. Cross-linked polymers were also studied by means of swelling measurements. PMMA-graft-PLO graft copolymer film samples were also used in cell-culture studies. Fibroblast cells were well adhered and proliferated on the copolymer film surfaces, which is important in tissue engineering.