Copolymers of phenoxyethyl methacrylate with N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone: Synthesis, characterization and reactivity ratios

The free radical copolymerization of phenoxyethyl methacrylate (POEMA) and N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone (Vp) was carried out using α,α- azobisisobutyronitrile (AIBN) in 2-butanone solution at 333-K±1. The copolymers were characterized by FTIR, ¹H-NMR and ¹³C-NMR spectroscopic methods. Thermal properties of the copolymers were also studied by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The composition of the copolymers was established by ¹H-NMR analysis. The monomer reactivity ratios were computed using the Fineman-Ross (F-R) and Kelen-Tüdos (K-T) methods. These parameters were also estimated using a non-linear computational fitting procedure, known as reactivity ratios error in variable model (RREVM). The mean sequence lengths determination indicates that the copolymer was random in nature.