Free-radical grafting of cellulose in N-methylmorpholine oxide: Water-soluble pam-g-cellulose copolymers

The homogeneous graft copolymerization of acrylamide (AM) onto cellulose initiated by t-butylperoxy-2-ethylhexanoate in a cellulose solvent, N-methylmorpholine oxide (NMMO), was investigated. The method afforded water-soluble PAM-g-cellulose copolymers in fair yields. The copolymers produced are of low molecular weight (50,000–100,000 M?_w). Little apparent homopolymerization was observed.