Microplasma-Induced Radical Polymerization for Green Elastic Polymer and Luminescent Nanocomposites

Considering the growth and applicability of the polymer industry over the years, alternative polymerization methods can be developed to facilitate simpler, rapid, and efficient polymer synthesis. This can be done via the utilization of radicals from microplasma interactions, proposing a simple initiator-free approach for both polymer and nanocomposite synthesis. In this study, microplasma-assisted synthesis of poly(2-Acrylamido-2-methylpropane sulfonic acid) (PAMPS_M) and poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) (PHEMA_M) is achieved under ambient conditions through radicals from the plasma interactions. This rapid polymerization method leads to high polymerization yield in short duration (PAMPS_M: 77.57% in 1 h; PHEMA_M 20.74% in 20 min) and long chain polymer formation (Mn: 2.23×10⁶ Da (PAMPS_M); 7.12×10⁴ Da (PHEMA_M)). The remarkable result in microplasma-assisted polymer synthesis is followed by formation of microplasma-synthesized PAMPS/Nitrogen-doped Graphene Quantum Dots (PAMPS/NGQDs_M) and PHEMA/NGQDs_M nanocomposites in one-pot two-step method. NGQDs addition contributes to luminescence properties of both nanocomposites (Photoluminescence emission/excitation: 540/460 nm (PAMPS/NGQDs_M); 505/410 nm (PHEMA/NGQDs_M)) and enhancement in mechanical properties by the formation of the covalent complex structure of polymer-nanomaterial. By unveiling a rapid, facile, and efficient method to radically polymerize water-based polymer and nanocomposite via microplasma, the present study will stimulate and advance further research on the preparation of rubber-based sol-gel via eco-friendly methods.