Synthesis and Characterization of Tertiary Butyl Methacrylate Ethylmethacrylate Copolymers Using Atom Transfer Radical Polymerization

Abstract

Atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) conditions with Cu(I)Br/2,2’- bipyridine as catalyst system where employed for 1,3,5-(2-Bromo-2-metelpropiyonato)benzene (BMPB) as initiator, three-armed star homopolymer of t- butyl methacrylate (t-BMA) monomer, and t-BMA and Ethyl methacrylate (EMA) three-armed poly (t-BMA-co-EMA) star copolymer were synthesized at 110 °C. The homo and copolymers were characterized by FT-IR, 1H-NMR techniques. The compositions of the copolymers were calculated from 1H-NMR spectra. The molecular weight and molecular weight distribution were obtained by Gel Permeation Chromatography (GPC). The thermal behavior of three-armed homopolymer of t-BMA and its copolymers with EMA were studied by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The glass transition temperature (Tg) of three-armed poly(t-BMA-co-EMA) were measured by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC).