One-pot, novel chemical modification of glycidyl methacrylate copolymers with very bulky organosilicon side chain substituents

Glycidyl methacrylate (GM) random copolymers with styrene and methylstyrene (in a 1:1 and 1:3 mole ratio) were synthesized by solution free radical polymerizations at 70 ± 1 °C using α,α′-azoisobutyronitrile as an initiator. The copolymer compositions were obtained using related 1H NMR spectra and the polydispersity indices of the copolymers determined using gel permeation chromatography (GPC). Both types of polymer could be modified by incorporation of the highly sterically demanding tris(trimethylsilyl)methyl substituent (Me3Si)3C-(Tsi = trisyl) through the ring opening reaction of the epoxy groups in copolymers. Chemical modification was determined by 1H NMR and infrared spectroscopies. The glass transition temperature Tg of all copolymers was determined by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The Tg value of the copolymers containing bulky trisyl groups was found to increase with incorporation of trisyl groups in polymer structures. The presence of trisyl groups in the polymer side chain created new macromolecules with novel modified properties and potential use as membranes for fluid separation.