Infrared spectroscopic determination of the kinetic data of the polymerization of aliphatic bismaleimides

Abstract

Bismaleimides polymerize at elevated temperatures, forming highly crosslinked, high temperature-resistant polymers. From the decrease of the ν(HC) band at 3100 cm−1, rate constants and activation energies of the polymerization of four homologous aliphatic bismaleimides were determined. Up to a 20–30% conversion, the polymerization is pseudofirst order. An almost linear correlation between the activation energy and the number of methylene groups in the sequence between the maleimide residues was found.