Thermally Stable Copolymers with Pendant “N-Arylimide” Groups Via Reversible Deactivation Radical Polymerization Technique

Abstract

This paper reports the synthesis of copolymers of N-arylitaconimides (NAI) and methyl methacrylate (MMA) with random architecture via activator generated electron transfer atom transfer radical polymerization (AGET-ATRP) method, resulting in N-arylimide as pendant group.The AGET-ATRP is a versatile and famous reversible deactivation radical polymerization technique used to synthesize the well defined polymers. The structural characterizations of obtained copolymers were done using FT-IR, 1H-NMR spectroscopy and elemental analysis. The molecular weights of copolymers were in the range 8,000-20,000 g/ mol with a narrow polydispersity index i.e. 1.2-1.3. Thermal characterization of Poly(NAI-ran-MMA) copolymers were done using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermogravimetric analysis (TG/ DTG). DSC scans show 60-117% enhancements in the glass transition temperature (Tg), as compared to Poly(methyl methacrylate). The rate of copolymerization, molecular weight and Tg were observed to increase with increase in electron releasing nature of the substituent on aromatic ring of the pendant group.