Copolymerization of ethyl ?-(hydroxymethyl)acrylate with maleimide and characterization of the resulting copolymer

Abstract

Copolymerization of maleimide (MI) and ethyl α-(hydroxymethyl)acrylate (EHMA) was performed at 60°C with AIBN as the initiator in THF. The monomer reactivity ratios were determined as r1 (MI) = 0.13 and r2 (EHMA) = 2.20. As the molar fraction of MI in the monomer feed increased, the initial rate of copolymerization decreased. TGA diagrams suggested the crosslinking reaction of the copolymer on heating. DSC and WAXD results suggested the existence of incomplete crystallinity in the copolymer. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 36: 1291–1299, 1998