Synthesis and Characterization of Hexadecaaniline‐Grafted Comb‐like Poly(maleic acid‐alt‐1‐octadecene)

Highly soluble hexadecaaniline (A16)‐grafted polyolefin derivatives poly(maleic acid‐hexadecaanilinamide‐alt‐1‐octadecene) (PMAO‐A16) in a comb‐like configuration with alternate linear hexadecane and A16 side‐chains were synthesized and characterized. The structure of PMAO‐A16 was substantiated by infrared and UV‐Vis spectra showing high intensity of characteristic absorption peaks corresponding to a high degree of A16 attachments. Covalent grafting of hexadecaanilines onto the polymer backbone of PMAO was confirmed by the detection of a new amide [–(C[dbnd]O)–NH–] absorption band appearing at 1661 cm−1 accompanied with the full disappearance of anhydride carbonyl absorptions. Based on the comparison between TGA profiles of PMAO‐A16 and hexadecaaniline, a 12.5% wt loss at 365–600°C was accounted for full elimination of aliphatic side‐chains that matches approximately with the weight percentage of total hexadecane arms (12.7%). The data revealed a nearly quantitative yield of A16 grafting on anhydride subunits leading to complete conversion of PMAO into PMAO‐A16. Furthermore, preliminary 1H‐NMR study of PMAO‐A16 indicated its capability to undergo molecular self‐assembly in DMSO where A16s were dispersed in the solvent phase with hexadecane side‐chains located in a phase‐separated domain.