Lm. Dong et al., INVESTIGATION OF HIGH-TEMPERATURE RADIATION EFFECTS ON POLY(METHYL METHACRYLATE) OF SPECIFIC TACTICITY, Macromolecules, 28(10), 1995, pp. 3681-3691
The high-temperature radiation properties of isotactic and syndiotacti
c poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) have been investigated by NMR spect
roscopy. The tacticity changes for the isotactic PMMA during gamma-irr
adiation have been simulated by a model which allows for recombination
of a scissioned bond and for the recombined bond to be in either the
meso or racemic configuration with probability P-t. The calculated val
ues of P-t were found to be consistent with the tacticity parameter P-
m values for the free-radical polymerization of a methyl methacrylate
monomer. The G-value of the temporary chain scission and then recombin
ation, G(TCS), for the isotactic PMMA sample which was gamma-irradiate
d at 80 degrees C was found to be 18.6, which is much higher than the
G-value of the permanent main-chain scission, G(S). A mechanism to exp
lain the observed tacticity changes have been proposed.