THERMAL-STABILITY OF POLY(MONO-N-ALKYL-ITACONATES) AND MONO-N-ALKYLITACONATE-CO-VINYLPYRROLIDONE COPOLYMERS .1.

Poly(monoitaconates) containing octyl, decyl and dodecyl groups and ra ndom monoalkylitaconate-co-vinylpyrrolidone copolymers were studied by thermogravimetric analysis. Copolymers of mono-n-octylitaconate (MOI) , mono-n-decylitaconate (MDI), and mono-n-dodecylitaconate (MDoI), res pectively, with N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone (VP) of different compositions w ere studied by dynamic thermogravimetric analysis. The thermal stabili ty of the copolymers depends on the structure of the monoitaconate com onomer and on the composition of the copolymer. The kinetic analysis o f the degradation data shows that the thermal decomposition of these c opolymers can be described by several kinetic orders depending on the copolymer and on the composition. The relative thermal stability of th e copolymers increases as the VP content increases and as the length o f the side chain of the itaconate increases, following the same trend as the flexibility of the copolymers in solution.