Copolymers of 4‐Benzyloxycarbonylphenyl Methacrylate with Methyl Methacrylate: Synthesis, Characterization, and Reactivity Ratios

Abstract

Copolymers of 4‐benzyloxycarbonylphenyl methacrylate (BCPM) with methyl methacrylate (MMA) were synthesized from different feed ratios of the monomers in methyl ethyl ketone (MEK) using benzoyl peroxide (BPO) as a free radical initiator at 70°C ± 1°C. The copolymers were characterized by FT‐IR, 1H‐NMR, and 13C‐NMR spectroscopic techniques. The molecular weights (M¯ w and M¯ n) and polydispersity indices of the polymers were determined using a gel permeation chromatograph. The glass transition temperatures (T g) of the copolymers determined by differential scanning calorimetry revealed that T g increases with an increase in MMA content in the copolymer. Thermogravimetric analysis of the polymers performed in air showed that the stability of the copolymers increased with an increase in BCPM content. The solubility of the polymers was tested in various polar and non‐polar solvents. The monomer reactivity ratios were determined by the application of conventional linearization methods such as Fineman–Ross (r 1 = 1.4671; r 2 = 0.4367), Kelen–Tüdös (r 1 = 1.5338; r 2 = 0.5333), extended Kelen–Tüdös (r 1 = 1.5543; r 2 = 0.5160), as well as by a nonlinear error‐in‐variables‐model (EVM) method using a computer program, RREVM (r 1 = 1.3944; r 2 = 0.4943).