Polymerization and copolymerization of n-(4-carboxyphenyl)maleimide

Abstract

Homopolymerization and copolymerization of N-(4-carboxyphenyl)maleimide (CPMI) were performed at 70°C in the presence of azobisisobutyronitrile (AIBN) as an initiator in tetrahydrofuran. The initial rate of polymerization was Rp=k[AIBN]0.65 [CPMI]2.4, where k is an over-all rate constant. The monomer reactivity ratios (r1, r2) in the polymerization of CPMI (M1) with styrene (ST, M2), or with methyl methacrylate (MMA, M2) and Alfrey-Price Q, e values were determined as r1=0.019, r2=0.23, Q1=0.67, e1=1.53 for the CPMI-ST system; r1=0.24, r2=1.08, Q1=1.09, e1=1.56 for the CPMI-MMA system. © 1991 The Society of Polymer Science, Japan.