Radical Copolymerization Reactivity of N-Substituted Maleimides with α-Substituted Styrenes with Various N- and α-Substituents and the Thermal and Optical Properties of the Resulting Copolymers

The radical alternating copolymerization of N-substituted maleimides (RMIs) with N-methyl, n-butyl, and 2-ethylhexyl groups and styrene derivatives with various -substituents (RSs) is carried out. The yield and the molecular weight of the obtained copolymers significantly decrease with an increase in the size of the -substituent of RSs, but are independent of the N-substituents. The glass-transition temperature of the copolymers increases on the introduction of the large substituents into the RS repeating units. The high-molecular-weight poly(RMI-alt-RS)s are soluble in organic solvents and provide flexible and transparent films with excellent transparency by casting the solutions.