Thermomechanical and Rheological Studies of Copolymers of Methyl Methacrylate with a Series of Linear Vinyl Esters

A series of copolymers of methyl methacrylate (MMA) with linear vinyl esters (LVEs), including vinyl acetate (VA), vinyl propionate (VP), vinyl hexanoate (VH), and vinyl decanoate (VD), were synthesized by free radical copolymerizations at 60 degrees C. The LVE composition was varied from 3 to 41 mol % in the resultant copolymers. The glass transition (T-g) of the copolymers ranged from 60 to 108 degrees C. The storage moduli (E') of the copolymers decreased as the LYE composition increased from 4 x 10(9) to 1.5 x 10(9) Pa. Copolymers containing VD exhibited a more obvious reduction in storage moduli and a larger shift of the tan 5 peak. The rheological property analysis of the copolymers at different temperatures showed that the shear storage and loss moduli of poly(LVE-co-MMA) (G' and G '') were mostly dominated by MWs. Short side chains did not have an obvious impact on the shear moduli and complex viscosities.