Abstract: | Poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) was dehydrochlorinated in alkali solution and then grafted with N‐isopropylacrylamide (NIPAM) using benzoyl peroxide as an initiator under a nitrogen atmosphere. The results show that grafting of NIPAM onto dehydrochlorinated PVC (DHPVC) by means of chemical initiation is easily performed. The influence of various reaction conditions such as NIPAM concentration, reaction time, initiator concentration, and PVC content on the grafting copolymerization was investigated. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 74: 1234–1241, 1999 |