Polymerization of dialkyl fumarates by differential scanning calorimetry

The solid-state polymerization of several dialkyl fumarates (DAF) containin g different side,groups have been investigated using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Four free radical initiators were tested with seven DAF derivatives. The type of initiator was found to have a pronounced effect on the polymerization behavior. Polymerization was confirmed mainly using NMR spectroscopy on the extracted polymers from the DSC pans. The activation e nergy as well as the order of the polymerization reaction for each of the i nvestigated DAF was measured using the Ozawa method. It has been shown that DSC is an easy and versatile way to follow the kinetic of the free radical polymerization of solid monomers. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All right s reserved.