Synthesis and Radical Copolymerization of Ethyl Acrylate and Butyl Acrylate with N-[4-N'-(Phenylamino-carbonyl) phenyl] maleimide

Abstract

Radical copolymerization of ethyl acrylate (EA) and butyl acrylate (BA) with 4-maleimidobenzanilide (MB), that is N-[4-N′-(phenylaminocarbonyl)phenyl]maleimide, initiated by AIBN was performed in THF solvent at 65°C. Nine copolymer samples of each type were prepared using different feed ratios of comonomers. All the polymer samples have been characterized by solubility test, intrinsic viscosity measurements, FT-IR and 1H-NMR spectral analysis, and thermo-gravimetric analysis. The values of monomer reactivity ratios r1 and r2 are 1.13 and 0.48 in MB/EA system and 0.45 and 0.52 MB/BA system. Alfrey-Price Q-e values for MB were Q = 1.31 and e = 1.33 in MB/EA and Q = 2.04 and e = 2.06 in MB/BA systems. The initial decomposition temperature of copolymer samples were in the range 310 to 365°C.