CO2‐facilitated transport through poly(N‐vinyl‐γ‐sodium aminobutyrate‐co‐sodium acrylate)/polysulfone composite membranes

Poly(N‐vinyl‐γ‐sodium aminobutyrate‐co‐sodium acrylate) (VSA–SA)/polysulfone (PS) composite membranes were prepared for the separation of CO₂. VSA–SA contained secondary amines and carboxylate ions that could act as carriers for CO₂. At 20°C and 1.06 atm of feed pressure, a VSA–SA/PS composite membrane displayed a pure CO₂ permeation rate of 6.12 × 10^?6 cm³(STP)/cm² s cmHg and a CO₂/CH₄ ideal selectivity of 524.5. In experiments with a mixed gas of 50 vol % CO₂ and 50 vol % CH₄, at 20°C and 1.04 atm of feed pressure, the CO₂ permeation rate was 9.2 × 10^?6 cm³ (STP)/cm² s cmHg, and the selectivity of CO₂/CH₄ was 46.8. Crosslinkages with metal ions were effective for increasing the selectivity. Both the selectivity of CO₂ over CH₄ and the CO₂ permeation rate had a maximum against the carrier concentration. The high CO₂ permeation rate originated from the facilitated transport mechanism, which was confirmed by Fourier transform infrared with attenuated total reflectance techniques. The performance of the membranes prepared in this work had good stability. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 100: 275–282, 2006     

Crosslinking and stabilization of nanoparticle filled poly(1‐trimethylsilyl‐1‐propyne) nanocomposite membranes for gas separations

Poly(1‐trimethylsilyl‐1‐propyne) (PTMSP) has been crosslinked using 4,4′‐diazidobenzophenone bisazide to improve its chemical and physical stability over time. Crosslinking PTMSP renders it insoluble in good solvents for the uncrosslinked polymer. Gas permeability and fractional free volume decreased as crosslinker content increased, while gas sorption was unaffected by crosslinking. Therefore, the reduction in permeability upon crosslinking PTMSP was due to decrease in diffusion coefficient. Compared with the pure PTMSP membrane, the permeability of the crosslinked membrane is initially reduced for all gases tested due to the crosslinking. By adding nanoparticles (fumed silica, titanium dioxide), the permeability is again increased; permeability reductions due to crosslinking could be offset by adding nanoparticles to the membranes. Increased selectivity is documented for the gas pairs O₂/N₂, H₂/N₂, CO₂/N₂, CO₂/CH and H₂/CH₄ using crosslinking and addition of nanoparticles. Crosslinking is successful in maintaining the permeability and selectivity of PTMSP membranes and PTMSP/filler nanocomposites over time. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2009     

Preparation of poly(ether‐block‐amide)/poly(amide‐co‐poly(propylene glycol)) random copolymer blend membranes for CO2/N2 separation

A series of poly(amide‐co‐poly(propylene glycol)) (PA‐PPG) random copolymers with different content of PPG were designed by polycondensation reaction. These random copolymers were blended up to 60% with commercially available Pebax 2533. The blend membranes were characterized by Fourier‐transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, X‐ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM). Gas permeation properties of these blend membranes were investigated using five single‐gases (CO₂, H₂, O₂, CH₄, and N₂) at different temperature of 25–55°C and 1.0 atm. The impacts of content of PA‐PPG with different PPG content and operating temperature on CO₂ separation properties of Pebax/PA‐PPG blend membranes were studied. The results showed that CO₂ permeability gradually increased with the increasing operating temperature, whereas CO₂ permeability gradually decreased with the increase in content of PA‐PPG. CO₂/N₂ selectivity gradually increased with the increase in content of PA‐PPG. In particular, Pebax/PA‐PPG (50)–60% displayed excellent CO₂ and O₂ separation properties (P_CO2 = 79.7 Barrer and P_O2 = 13.6 Barrer, CO₂/N₂ = 34.7 and O₂/N₂ = 5.9) at 25°C and 1.0 atm. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 59:E14–E23, 2019. © 2018 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Gas‐sorption properties of 6FDA–durene/1,4‐phenylenediamine (pPDA) and 6FDA–durene/1,3‐phenylenediamine (mPDA) copolyimides

We investigated the sorption isotherms of O₂, N₂, CH₄, and CO₂ gases in 6FDA–durene, 6FDA–1,4‐phenylenediamine (6FDA–pPDA), and 6FDA–1,3‐phenylenediamine (6FDA–mPDA) homopolymers and 6FDA–durene/pPDA and 6FDA–durene/mPDA copolyimides. The solubilities decrease in the order of the inherent condensabilities of the penetrant gases, namely, CO₂, CH₄, O₂, and N₂. The chemical structures of the polymer, as well as the chain packing, determine the sorption properties of these homopolymers and copolymers. The FDA–durene homopolymer has the highest solubility for all gases because of its high specific free volume and fractional free volume. The solubilities of the copolymers increase with an increasing 6FDA–durene content, while the solubility selectivities of the copolymers only vary slightly. The values of K_D (Henry's law constant) and C_H′ (Langmuir site capacity) of these copolyimides decrease with a decreasing 6FDA–durene content. To our surprise, contradictory to the previous known fact that the meta‐connected materials tend to have denser molecular packing than that of the para‐linked materials for homopolymers, the 6FDA–durene/mPDA 80/20 copolymer has higher gas solubilities than those of the 6FDA–durene/pPDA 80/20 copolymer. The random moiety sequence within the copolymer may be the main cause for the abnormal phenomenon. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 90: 2187–2193, 2003     

Actual air separation through poly(aniline‐co‐toluidine)/ethylcellulose blend thin‐film composite membranes

Several multilayer thin‐film composite membranes were fabricated of ethylcellulose (EC) and poly(aniline‐co‐ortho‐toluidine) or poly(ortho‐toluidine) blend as selective thin films and three ultrafiltration membranes with a 10‐ to 45‐nm pore size and 100‐ to 200‐μm thickness as porous supports. The relationships between the actual air‐separation performance through the composite membranes and layer number, composition, casting solution concentration of the thin selective film are discussed. The oxygen‐enriched air (OEA) flux through the composite membranes increases steadily with increasing operational temperature and pressure. The oxygen concentration enriched by the composite membranes appears to decrease with operating temperature, but increases with operating pressure. The actual air‐separation property through the composite membranes seems to remain nearly constant for at least 320 days. The respective highest OEA flux, oxygen flux, and oxygen concentration, respectively, were found to be 4.78 × 10⁻⁵ cm³ (STP)/s · cm², 2.2 × 10⁻⁵ cm³ (STP)/s · cm², and 46% across EC/poly(o‐toluidine) (80/20) blend monolayer thin‐film composite membranes in a single step at 20°C and 650 kPa operating pressure. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 75: 458–463, 2000     

Influence of curing sequence on phase structure and properties of bisphenol A‐aniline benzoxazine/N,N′‐(2,2,4‐trimethylhexane‐1,6‐diyl) bis (maleimide)/imidazole blend

The effects of different catalysts on the curing sequences of bisphenol A‐aniline benzoxazine (BA‐a)/N,N′‐(2,2,4‐trimethylhexane‐1,6‐diyl) bis (maleimide) (TBMI) blends were studied, and the influence of curing sequences on the phase structure and properties of products was discussed. In BA‐a/TBMI/adipic acid, BA‐a homopolymerized first, followed by the copolymerization between TBMI and ring‐opened benzoxazine. This curing sequence led to strong copolymerization, which limited the movement of components and resulted in homogeneous structures of the final products. However, in BA‐a/TBMI/imidazole, TBMI homopolymerized firstly, followed by the homopolymerization of BA‐a. BA‐a and TBMI hardly copolymerized, and the products presented phase‐separated (bi‐continuous phase) structures finally. The degree of copolymerization and phase structures of products differed due to different curing sequences when different catalysts were used. Furthermore, the product with phase‐separated structures had improved thermal property and toughness compared to those of the product with homogeneous structures. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2016 , 133, 43259.     

Highly selective sulfonated poly(vinylidene fluoride‐co‐hexafluoropropylene)/poly(ether sulfone) blend proton exchange membranes for direct methanol fuel cells

Proton exchange membranes (PEMs) based on blends of poly(ether sulfone) (PES) and sulfonated poly(vinylidene fluoride‐co‐hexafluoropropylene) (sPVdF‐co‐HFP) were prepared successfully. Fabricated blend membranes showed favorable PEM characteristics such as reduced methanol permeability, high selectivity, and improved mechanical integrity. Additionally, these membranes afford comparable proton conductivity, good oxidative stability, moderate ion exchange capacity, and reasonable water uptake. To appraise PEM performance, blend membranes were characterized using techniques such as Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, AC impedance spectroscopy; atomic force microscopy, and thermogravimetry. Addition of hydrophobic PES confines the swelling of the PEM and increases the ultimate tensile strength of the membrane. Proton conductivities of the blend membranes are about 10^?3 S cm^?1. Methanol permeability of 1.22 × 10^?7cm² s^?1 exhibited by the sPVdF‐co‐HFP/PES10 blend membrane is much lower than that of Nafion‐117. AFM studies divulged that the sPVdF‐co‐HFP/PES blend membranes have nodule like structure, which confirms the presence of hydrophilic domain. The observed results demonstrated that the sPVdF‐co‐HFP/PES blend membranes have promise for possible usage as a PEM in direct methanol fuel cells. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2016 , 133, 43907.     

Effects of plasma treatment on CO2 plasticization of poly(methyl methacrylate) gas‐separation membranes

To suppress undesirable plasticization effects of condensable gas (CO₂) in high pressure gas‐separation process, a surface‐modified poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) membrane prepared by a plasma treatment was synthesized in this study. The pressure dependencies of permeability were analyzed to characterize the plasticization phenomenon and how it can be controlled by the plasma modification. FTIR‐ATR and TGA results suggest that the plasma treatment leads to surface crosslinking of PMMA membrane. Thus, the plasticization effect resulting from sorbed CO₂ on the Ar‐plasma–treated PMMA membrane was significantly reduced, but the reduction in permeability was lower than that of other crosslinking modification methods. The reduction of the CO₂ permeability contributes to a major part to the selectivity of He/CO₂ for the Ar‐plasma–treated PMMA membranes. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 93: 395–401, 2004     

Gas permeability of NH3‐plasma‐treated poly(methyl methacrylate) membranes

The effect of NH₃ plasma treatment on glassy poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) membranes on the diffusion process for penetrant gases (CO₂, O₂, and N₂) was investigated from mean permeability data. The mean permeability coefficient for CO₂ definitely depended on the upstream pressure, whereas those for O₂ and N₂ remained constant regardless of the upstream pressure. For O₂ transport, the permeability increased a little with increasing treatment power, and for N₂ transport, it was not affected by the treatment power. For CO₂ transport, NH₃ plasma treatment promoted the transport of Langmuir mode, presumably through an increased Langmuir capacity constant for CO₂. NH₃ plasma treatment for PMMA membranes resulted in an increase in the separation factor of CO₂ relative to N₂ and in the permeability to CO₂. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 87: 1068–1072, 2003     

Morphology and barrier mechanism of biaxially oriented poly(ethylene terephthalate)/poly(ethylene 2,6‐naphthalate) blends

To improve the barrier properties of poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET), PET/poly(ethylene 2,6‐naphthalate) (PEN) blends with different concentrations of PEN were prepared and were then processed into biaxially oriented PET/PEN films. The air permeability of bioriented films of pure PET, pure PEN, and PET/PEN blends were tested by the differential pressure method. The morphology of the blends was studied by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) observation of the impact fracture surfaces of extruded PET/PEN samples, and the morphology of the films was also investigated by SEM. The results of the study indicated that PEN could effectively improve the barrier properties of PET, and the barrier properties of the PET/PEN blends improved with increasing PEN concentration. When the PEN concentration was equal to or less than 30%, as in this study, the PET/PEN blends were phase‐separated; that is, PET formed the continuous phase, whereas PEN formed a dispersed phase of particles, and the interface was firmly integrated because of transesterification. After the PET/PEN blends were bioriented, the PET matrix contained a PEN microstructure consisting of parallel and extended, separate layers. This multilayer microstructure was characterized by microcontinuity, which resulted in improved barrier properties because air permeation was delayed as the air had to detour around the PEN layer structure. At a constant PEN concentration, the more extended the PEN layers were, the better the barrier properties were of the PET/PEN blends. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 101: 1309–1316, 2006     

Polymer electrolyte membranes prepared by EB‐crosslinking of sulfonated poly(ether ether ketone) with 1,4‐butanediol

Crosslinked sulfonated poly(ether ether ketone) (SPEEK) membranes were prepared through the electron beam (EB)‐irradiation crosslinking of SPEEK/1,4‐butanediol under various irradiation conditions and used as a proton exchange membrane (PEM) for fuel cell applications. The crosslinked membranes were characterized by gel fraction, a universal testing machine (UTM), dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA), and small‐angle X‐ray scattering (SAXS). The gel fraction of the crosslinked membranes was used to estimate the degree of crosslinking, and the gel fraction was found to be increased with an increase of the crosslinker content and EB‐absorbed dose. The UTM results indicate that a brittle EB‐crosslinked membrane becomes more flexible with an increase in the crosslinker content. The DMA results show that the EB‐crosslinked membranes have well‐developed ionic aggregation regions and the cluster T_g of membranes decrease with an increase in the 1,4‐butanediol crosslinker content. The SAXS results show that the Bragg and persistence distance of crosslinked membranes increase with an increase in the crosslinker content. The proton conductivities of the EB‐crosslinked membranes were more than 9 × 10^?2 S/cm. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2015 , 132, 41760.     

Crosslinking of poly(vinyl alcohol) and poly(vinyl acetate) using poly(maleic anhydride‐alt−2,4‐dimethyl‐1,3‐pentadiene) as polyfunctional crosslinker and decrosslinking by ozone degradation

Crosslinking and decrosslinking reactions of poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) and poly(vinyl acetate) (PVAc) using an alternating copolymer of maleic anhydride and 2,4‐dimethyl‐1,3‐pentadiene (PMAD) as the polyfunctional crosslinker and subsequent ozone degradation are reported. PVA and PVAc are heated at 200 °C for 0.5 to 3 h in the presence of 5 to 30 wt % of PMAD in the solid state to obtain the corresponding crosslinked polymers. The reactions of a hydroxy group of PVA and an acetate group of PVAc with an anhydride group of PMAD slowly proceed to give insoluble polymers with a loose crosslinking structure. Almost no change in the thermal decomposition temperatures and the IR spectra is observed during the crosslinking reactions. The crosslinked PVA produces hydrogels with a high swelling ratio of 500 to 1700%, which are readily degradable during a reaction with ozone in water at 0 °C. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2017 , 134, 44229.     

Synthesis and characterization of poly[methyl methacrylate‐co‐2‐ethylhexyl acrylate‐co‐poly(propylene glycol diacrylate)] latices

The emulsion polymerization of the monomers methyl methacrylate (MMA) and 2‐ethylhexyl acrylate (EHA) was studied to investigate the effect of the crosslinkable monomer poly(propylene glycol diacrylate) (PPGDA). IR spectroscopy, NMR, differential scanning calorimetry, gel permeation chromatography, and scanning electron microscopy were used to characterize the synthesized polymers. These polymers were coated on glass panels and cured at appropriate temperatures to study the physical properties, swelling behavior, surface tension, and contact angle of these polymer latices. The results show that as the concentration of EHA monomer increased, the surface tension of the latices decreased. The copolymers were characterized by ¹H‐NMR spectroscopy to ensure the absence of unreacted monomer, and the results confirm the incorporation of EHA units in the copolymer. The contact angle of the latices on the glass substrate was smaller than that on the metal. The swelling mechanism of the film showed that the Fickian diffusion coefficient with 10 wt % PPGDA was at a minimum value and was the most highly crosslinked polymer among the samples. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2011     

Effect of the nature of crosslinking agent on the unusual metal ion specificity and selectivity of N,N‐bis(2‐aminoethyl)polyacrylamide

Metal ion desorbed crosslinked N,N‐bis(2‐aminoethyl)polyacrylamides showed enhanced specificity for the desorbed metal ion, and these polymers selectively rebind the desorbed metal ion from a mixture of metal ions. For this, polyacrylamide with 8 mol % divinylbenzene (DVB) and N,N′‐methylene‐bisacrylamide (NNMBA) crosslinking were prepared by solution polymerization. Diethylenetriamino functions were incorporated into the polymers by polymer analogous reactions. The complexing ability of the amino polymers were investigated toward various transition metal ions like Co(II), Ni(II), Cu(II), and Zn(II). Polymeric ligand and metal complexes were characterized by various spectral methods. The removal of the metal ion from the polymer matrix resulted in a memory for the desorbed metal ion. On rebinding, these polymers specifically rebind the desorbed metal ion and from a mixture of metal ions, it showed selectivity to the desorbed metal ion. Thus, the Cu(II) desorbed polymer specifically and selectively rebind Cu(II) ion from a mixture of Cu(II) and other metal ion. This selectivity is higher in the rigid DVB‐crosslinked system, resulting from the high rigidity of the crosslinked matrix compared to the semirigid NNMBA‐crosslinked system. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2008     

Specific interactions in poly(styrene‐co‐2‐hydroxyethyl acrylate)/poly(styrene‐co‐N,N‐dimethylacrylamide) systems

Amphiphilic copolymers of poly(styrene‐co‐2‐hydroxyethyl acrylate) (SHEA) and poly(styrene‐co‐N, N‐dimethylacrylamide) (SAD) of different compositions were prepared by free radical copolymerization and characterized by different techniques. Depending on the nature of the solvent and the densities of interacting species incorporated within the polystyrene matrices, novel materials as blends or interpolymer complexes with properties different from those of their constituents were elaborated when these copolymers are mixed together. The specific interpolymer interactions of hydrogen bonding type and the phase behavior of the elaborated materials were investigated by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and Fourier transform infra red spectroscopy (FTIR). The specific interactions of hydrogen bonding type that occurred within the SHEA and within their blends with the SAD were evidenced by FTIR qualitatively by the appearance of a new band at 1626 cm^?1 and quantitatively using appropriate spectral curve fitting in the carbonyl and amide regions. The variation of the glass transition temperature with the blend composition behaved differently with the densities of interacting species. The thermal degradation behavior of the materials was studied by thermogravimetry. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2008     

Amphiphilic ABA‐type triblock copolymers for the development of high‐performance poly(vinylidene fluoride)/poly(vinyl pyrrolidone) blend ultrafiltration membranes for oil separation

ABA‐type amphiphilic triblock copolymers (TBCs) were synthesized by a reversible addition fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) process with a telechelic polystyrene macro‐RAFT agent and 4‐[n‐(acryloyloxy)alkyloxy]benzoic acid monomers. Ultrafiltration (UF) membranes were fabricated by a phase‐inversion process with blends of the TBC, poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF), and poly(vinyl pyrrolidone) (PVP) in dimethylformamide. The UF‐fabricated membranes were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, water contact angle measurement, thermogravimetric analysis, and differential scanning calorimetry. Pure water permeation, molecular weight cutoff values obtained by the permeation of different molecular weight polymers as probe solutes, bovine serum albumin (BSA) solution permeate flux, and oil–water emulsion filtration tests were used to evaluate the separation characteristics of the fabricated membranes. The tripolymer blend membranes exhibited a higher flux recovery ratio (FRR) after the membrane was washed with sodium lauryl sulfate (0.05 wt %) solution for a BSA solution (FRR = 88%) and oil–water emulsion (FRR = 95%) feeds when than the PVDF–PVP blend membrane (57 and 80% FRR values for the BSA solution and oil–water emulsion, respectively). The pendant carboxylic acid functional moieties in this ABA‐type TBC have potential advantages in the fabrication of high‐performance membranes. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2017 , 134, 45132.     

Crystallization behavior of partially crosslinked poly(β‐hydroxyalkonates)/poly(butylene succinate) blends

Partially crosslinked poly(β‐hydroxybutyrate‐co‐β‐hydroxyvalerate)/poly(butylene succinate) (PHBV/PBS) and poly(β‐hydroxybutyrate)/poly(butylene succinate) (PHB/PBS) blends were prepared by melt compounding with dicumyl peroxide. The effect of partial crosslinking on crystallization of the PHBV/PBS and PHB/PBS blends was investigated systematically. Differential scanning calorimetry results showed that the overall crystallization rates of both PHBV and PBS in their blends were enhanced considerably by the partial crosslinking. Similar results were also detected in the PHB/PBS blends. The polarized optical microscope observation displayed that the nuclei density of PHBV was increased while the spherulitic morphology did not change much. Conversely, the PBS spherulites turned into cloud‐like morphology after the partial crosslinking which is a result of the decrease in spherulite size, the reduction in interspherulite distance and the interconnection of fine PBS domains. Wide angle X‐ray diffraction patterns confirmed the enhancement in crystallization of the PHBV/PBS blends after the partial crosslinking without modification on crystalline forms of the PHBV and PBS components. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2014 , 131, 41020.     

Sulfonated poly(ether ether ketone)‐induced porous poly(ether sulfone) blend membranes for the separation of proteins and metal ions

Asymmetric ultrafiltration (UF) membranes were prepared by the blending of poly(ether sulfone) (PES) and sulfonated poly(ether ether ketone) (SPEEK) polymers with N,N′‐dimethylformamide solvent by the phase‐inversion method. SPEEK was selected as the hydrophilic polymer in a blend with different composition of PES and SPEEK. The solution‐cast PES/SPEEK blend membranes were homogeneous for all of the studied compositions from 100/0 to 60/40 wt % in a total of 17.5 wt % polymer and 82.5 wt % solvent. The presence of SPEEK beyond 40 wt % in the casting solution did not form membranes. The prepared membranes were characterized for their UF performances, such as pure water flux, water content, porosity, and membrane hydraulic resistance, and morphology and melting temperature. We estimated that the pure water flux of the PES/SPEEK blend membranes increased from 17.3 to 85.6 L m^?2 h^?1 when the concentration of SPEEK increased from 0 to 40 wt % in the casting solution. The membranes were also characterized their separation performance with proteins and metal‐ion solutions. The results indicate significant improvement in the performance characteristics of the blend membranes with the addition of SPEEK. In particular, the rejection of proteins and metal ions was marginally decreased, whereas the permeate flux was radically improved. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2010     

Miscibility and crystallization behavior of the solution‐blended sulfonated poly(phenylene oxide)/ poly(styrene‐co‐4‐vinyl pyridine) blend

The miscibility and crystallization behavior of the solution‐blended lightly sulfonated poly(phenylene oxide) (SPPO)/poly(styrene‐co‐4‐vinylpyridine) (PSVP) blend were investigated by conventional and modulated differential scanning calorimetry (MDSC). It was found that the original blend film is actually composed of a crystalline SPPO phase and a noncrystalline compatible SPPO–PSVP phase. The original phase‐segregated structure will evolve to a noncrystalline homogenous structure by subsequent high temperature annealing. The resulting good miscibility was attributed to two aspects: one is that the SPPO crystalline structure could be destroyed as annealing temperature is high enough; the other is that the acid–base interaction between the sulfonic group of SPPO and the pyridine ring of PSVP could promote mixing of different components effectively. And such acid–base interaction was demonstrated by ¹C NMR spectra. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 81: 2843–2848, 2001     

Synthesis and characterization of poly[4‐(2‐thiazolylazo)phenyl methacrylate]‐co‐poly(methyl methacrylate)

A new methacrylic monomer, 4‐(2‐thiazolylazo)phenylmethacrylate (TPMA) was synthesized. Copolymerization of the monomer with methyl methacrylate (MMA) was carried out by free radical polymerization in THF solution at 70 ± 0.5°C, using azobisisobutyronitrile (AIBN) as an initiator. The monomer TPMA and the copolymer poly(TPMA‐co‐MMA) were characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), ¹H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), and elemental analysis methods. The polydispersity index of the copolymer was determined using gel permeation chromatography (GPC). Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) of the copolymer performed in nitrogen revealed that the copolymer was stable to 270°C. The glass transition temperature (T_g) of the copolymer was higher than that of PMMA. The copolymer with a pendent aromatic heterocyclic group can be dissolved in common organic solvents and shows a good film‐forming ability. Both the monomer TPMA and the copolymer poly (TPMA‐co‐MMA) have bright colors: orange and yellow, respectively. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 103: 2152–2157, 2007