Synthesis and characterization of homopolymer of 2-ethylhexyl acrylate and its copolymers with acrylamide, acrylonitrile, and methyl methacrylate

A homopolymer of 2-ethylhexyl acrylate (EHA) was synthesized by a free-radical solution polymerization technique. Copolymers of EHA with acrylonitrile (AN), acrylamide (AA), and methyl methacrylate (MMA) in various ratios were also synthesized by the same pro-cedure. These were characterized by PNMR, 13C-NMR, FTIR, GPC, and viscosity mea-surements. The reactivity ratios of various monomers were determined. The viscosity mea-surements were carried out in four different solvents: ethyl acetate (EA), methyl ethyl ketone (MEK), toluene (TL), and tetrahydrofuran (THF). The studies were done at three different temperatures of 30,35 and 40°C. The activation parameters of the viscous flow were computed for different systems. The intrinsic viscosity of the copolymers increased with temperature in MEK and EA. This trend showed reversal for the other two solvents. The results are discussed in detail. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.