Photoinitiated copolymerisation 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 photoinitiator. The reactivity ratios of both monomers (r(F) and r(A)) were determined according to the general copolymer composition equation by applying the Tidwell and Mortimer non-linear least squares fit. To this end initial approximated Values of r(F) and r(A) were obtained by means of the Fineman-Ross and Kelen-Tudos linearisation methods. The reactivity ratios obtained were r(F) = 2.06 and r(A) = 0.28. Also, kinetic parameters such as reaction rate (R-p) and copolymerisation quantum yield (phi(m)) were determined for the above system over a wide composition interval, with molar fraction of F ranging from 0.1 to 0.9 in the monomer feed. The kinetics of photopolymerisation were followed using differential scanning photocalorimetry. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd.