Synthesis and properties of poly(vinyl chloride-g-2-methyl-2-oxazoline)

Summary Poly(vinyl chloride-g-2-methyl-2-oxazoline) copolymers were prepared by grafting from the allyl chloride sites of PVC with KI or AgOSO₃CF₃ as coinitiators. Use of AgOSO₃CF₃ led to higher grafting efficiencies and higher contents of poly(2-methyl-2-oxazoline) in the graft copolymers. DTA analyses of the P(VC-g-Me-Oxz) identified the thermal transitions of this copolymer; TGA analyses showed that the graft copolymers were less thermally stable than the constituent homopolymers. Unlike blends of P(Me-Oxz) and PVC, the graft copolymers could be molded easily; the graft materials exhibited greater flexural moduli but lower HDT's than PVC.