Simultaneous anodic and cathodic polymerizations of acrylamide

AbstractThe electrolysis of acrylamide in sodium nitrate/N,N‐dimethylformamide solutions leads to polymer formations simultaneously in the anode and cathode compartments. The influences of monomer concentrations, current levels, nature of some electrode metals and supporting electrolytes on polymerization were examined. Anodic polymers of high molecular weights were obtained (ca. 105). The current‐voltage curves and other experimental findings strongly suggest that the direct reduction of acrylamide at the cathode leads to the cathodic polymerization which is like the polymerization by anionic initiators in which the monomer gives a polymer of amide structure via a hydrogen transfer process. On the other hand, the anodic polymerization is possibly initiated by the species produced by the anodic reaction of the supporting electrolyte and is analogous to the free‐radical polymerization of acrylamide. Infrared spectra of the polymers show that the cathodic polymer is a polyamide \documentclass{article}\pagestyle{empty}\begin{document}$ \left( { \ldots \hbox{---} {\rm CH}_{\rm 2} \hbox{---} {\rm CH}_{\rm 2} \hbox{---} {\rm CO}\hbox{---} {\rm NH}\hbox{---} \ldots } \right) $\end{document} whereas the anodic has a CC chain structure \documentclass{article}\pagestyle{empty}\begin{document}$ \left( { \ldots \hbox{---} {\rm CH}_{\rm 2} \hbox{---} {\rm CH}\left( {{\rm CONH}_{\rm 2} } \right)\hbox{---} \ldots } \right) $\end{document}.