Fabrication of Permanent Antistatic PMMA Copolymer for Enhanced Antistatic and Mechanical Properties

The high surface resistance of polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) causes its poor antistatic performance. Once the surface is rubbed, the electric charge will be accumulated, and the harmful static phenomena will be generated, which leads to limited application and development of PMMA. In this study, PMMA was modified by the ionic antistatic agent allyl trimethylammonium chloride (TMA), and acrylic acid was used as a compatibilizer to improve the compatibility between TMA and MMA. The surface resistance of PMMA can be reduced to 6.5 × 109 Ω by only 1.25 wt % TMA, which is 5 orders of magnitude lower than that of pure PMMA. Since the antistatic agent can be copolymerized with MMA through a double bond, the antistatic effect obtained is permanent. What is more, the core advantage of high transmittance of the composite material is maintained, and the mechanical properties and thermal stability are improved. The Vicat softening temperature of the copolymer was 96.6 °C when 1.25 wt % TMA was added, which obviously exceeds the long-term service temperature of PMMA. This research provides more possibilities for the study of high-performance PMMA.