PHOTOPOLYMERIZATION OF DIALKYL FUMARATES WITH ELECTRON-DONOR MONOMERS

Fumarate esters with abstractable hydrogens were found to copolymerize via photoinitiation with a variety of electron donor monomers at a re latively rapid rate both in air and in nitrogen. In air, copolymerizat ion rates of the dialkyl fumarates made from reaction of fumaric chlor ide with 1-methoxyisopropanol or 2-methoxy-1-ethanol were much faster than for monofunctional or difunctional acrylates when a photoinitiato r was used to initiate polymerization. Mixtures involving dialkyl fuma rates and N-vinylformamide (NVF) had polymerization exotherm rates fas ter than when N-vinylpyrrolidone and vinyl ethers were used as comonom ers. Similar correlations with fumarate structure were observed when p hotoinitiator was present or absent, but faster rates were always obta ined when a photoinitiator was present. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.