Synthesis and characterization of copolyperoxides of indene with styrene, α‐methylstyrene, and α‐phenylstyrene.

Abstract

The oxidative copolymerization of indene with styrene, α-methylstyrene, and α-phenylstyrene is investigated. Copolyperoxides of different compositions have been synthesized by the free-radical-initiated oxidative copolymerization of indene with vinyl monomers. The compositions of the copolyperoxides obtained from the 1H and 13C NMR spectra have been used to determine the reactivity ratios of the monomers. The reactivity ratios indicate that indene forms an ideal copolyperoxide with styrene and α-methylstyrene and alternating copolyperoxides with α-phenylstyrene. Thermal degradation studies via differential scanning calorimetry and electron-impact mass spectroscopy support the alternating peroxide units in the copolyperoxide chain. The activation energy for thermal degradation suggests that the degradation is dependent on the dissociation of the peroxide (OO) bonds in the backbone of the copolyperoxide chain. Their flexibility has been examined in terms of the glass-transition temperature. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 40: 2004–2017, 2002