Radical polymerization of N ‐[(1‐n‐butoxycarbonyl)ethyl]maleimide

Poly( N ‐[(1‐n‐butoxycarbonyl)ethyl]maleimide) (PBAM) was synthesized by solution polymerization with 2,2′‐Azobis(isobutylronitrile) (AIBN) as radical initiator. The resulting polymer(PBAM) was characterized by infrared spectroscopy (IR), themogravimetry (TG), and differential thermal analysis (DTA). The initial decomposition temperature of PBAM is 321.6°C; the glass transition temperature of PBAM was 240.5°C. The effects of solvent, temperature, initiator concentration ([I]), and monomer concentration ([BAM]) on polymerization were also discussed. The overall activation energy ( E a ) of homopolymerization was determined ( E a = 93.5 kJ/mol). It was revealed that the rate of polymerization ( R p ) can be expressed as R p ∝ [I] 0.58 [BAM]. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 82: 424–427, 2001