PHOTOINITIATED COPOLYMERIZATION OF FURFURYL METHACRYLATE AND N,N-DIMETHYL ACRYLAMIDE

Copolymers of furfuryl methacrylate (F) and N,N-dimethyl acrylamide (A ) were prepared by free radical photoinitiated polymerisation in bulk at 40 degrees C, using 2,2-azobisisobutyronitrile (AIBN) as photoiniti ator. The reactivity ratios of both monomers (r(F) and r(A)) were dete rmined according to the general copolymer composition equation by appl ying the Tidwell and Mortimer non-linear least squares fit. To this en d initial approximated Values of r(F) and r(A) were obtained by means of the Fineman-Ross and Kelen-Tudos linearisation methods. The reactiv ity ratios obtained were r(F) = 2.06 and r(A) = 0.28. Also, kinetic pa rameters such as reaction rate (R-p) and copolymerisation quantum yiel d (phi(m)) were determined for the above system over a wide compositio n interval, with molar fraction of F ranging from 0.1 to 0.9 in the mo nomer feed. The kinetics of photopolymerisation were followed using di fferential scanning photocalorimetry. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd.