Synthesis and Characterization of Copolymers of 5,6-Benzo-2-methylene-1,3-dioxepane and Styrene

Abstract

Copolymerization behavior of 5,6-benzo-2-methylene-1,3-dioxepane (BMDO) with styrene (St) is studied using benzyl bromide/CuBr/1,1,4,7,7-pentamethyldiethylenetriamine radical initiating system. Structural characterization of copolymers was done using 1D and 2D NMR techniques. The copolymer compositions were obtained from 1 H NMR spectroscopy. The reactivity ratios for the copolymerization of BMDO with St were determined using Kelen−Tüdõs method and was found to be r BMDO = 1.08 and r St = 8.53. Degradation behavior of the copolymers is also reported.