Thermal breakdown by the retro Diels-Alder reaction of crosslinking in poly[styrene-co-(furfuryl methacrylate)]

Crosslinked poly[styrene-co-(furfuryl methacrylate)] has been produced by the Diels-Alder (D-A) reaction between the furan ring (within the copolymer) and the maleimide (MI) group (within the other reactant, bismaleimide). The retro D-A reaction was followed by the analysis of MI groups produced at different times at five constant temperatures. The process was shown to follow first-order kinetics, and the rate constants were determined. The findings are believed to be the first to provide quantitative information on the breakdown by a retro D-A reaction of crosslinking in a polymer system. The D-A processes constitute a thermoreversible gelling system with respect to the formation and breakdown of crosslinks.