The group transfer copolymerization of alkyl acrylates with acrylates containing electron-donor or -acceptor substituents

Abstract

N-(2-Hydroxyethyl)carbazolyl acrylate, an electron-donor monomer, or 2-(trimethylsiloxy)ethyl acrylate were copolymerized with methyl acrylate and with n-butyl acrylate, respectively, via group transfer polymerization in tetrahydrofuran. By polymer analogue transformations the trimethylsilyl groups were substituted by 3,5-dinitrobenzoyl groups to get the corresponding electron-acceptor (β-hydroxyethyl)-3,5-dinitrobenzoyl acrylate copolymers. The content of the electron-donor (respectively of the electron-acceptor) groups in the acrylate copolymers was in the range of up to 10 mol%. The thermal behaviour of these copolymers obtained via group transfer polymerization is compared with that of the corresponding copolymers obtained by radical copolymerization.