NMR study of vinyl chloride–vinylidene chloride copolymer

Abstract

Abstract A study of the proton magnetic resonance spectra of poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC), poly(vinylidene chloride) (PVDC), and vinyl chloride–vinylidene chloride (VC–VDC) copolymer has resulted in a clearer understanding of the copolymer NMR spectra. Comparison of the homopolymer spectra with the copolymer spectra, including information obtained from decoupling experiments, indicated that the chain structure of the eight copolymers studied were of two different types. The simplest type copolymer chain contained head‐to‐tail VDC sequences, head‐to‐head or tail‐to‐tail VDC sequences, and VC‐VDC sequences. The second type copolymer contained all of the sequences of type I copolymers and, in addition, contained VC sequences. The average length of these VC sequences was less than four VC units. The composition of seven of the copolymers was determined by chlorine analysis and by an NMR method of analysis which was based on the above conclusions. The agreement between the results of the two methods of analysis was quite good.