Thermal behaviour of some nonporous methacrylate polymers

Abstract

Three nonporous methacrylate polymer samples were synthesized by suspension polymerization, and subsequently investigated. The surface area and the surface morphology of the spherical beads were examined by the BET method from the low-temperature adsorption isotherms and by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), respectively. Thermal behaviour of the two homopolymer samples, poly(glycidyl methacrylate) (PGMA) and poly(ethylene glycol dimethacrylate) (PEGDMA), and the copolymer sample poly(glycidyl methacrylate-co-ethylene glycol dimethacrylate) (PGME) was investigated by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). All samples exhibit complex thermal degradation behavior. The copolymer is intermediate in stability between PGMA and PEGDMA.