Copolymers of 4-Methoxybenzyl Methacrylate and Isobornyl Methacrylate: Synthesis, Characterization and Determination of Monomer Reactivity Ratios

Homopolymerization of 4-methoxybenzyl methacrylate (MBMA) and copolymerization with isobornyl methacrylate (IBMA) by the atom transfer radical polymerization method (ATRP) were performed at 90 degrees C. The homopolymer [poly(MBMA)] and copolymer [poly(MBMA-co-IBMA)] were characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), H-1 and C-13 NMR and gel permeation chromatography (GPC) techniques.. The compositions of the copolymers were calculated from H-1 NMR spectra. For the atom transfer radical copolymerization system, their monomer reactivity ratios were obtained by using the Kelen-Tudos and Fineman-Ross equation, as r(1): 0.88, r(2): 0.63 (r1 is the monomer reactivity ratio of IBMA) and r(1): 0,90, r(2) : 0,65. The initial decomposition temperatures of the resultant copolymers decreased with an increasing mol fraction of IBMA, which indicates that the heat resistance of the copolymer has been improved by decreasing the MBMA units.