Thermal behavior and specific interaction in high glass transition temperature PMMA copolymer

A series of high glass transition temperature copolymers based on poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) were prepared by free radical copolymerization of methacrylamide and methyl methacrylate monomers in dioxane solvent. The thermal properties and hydrogen-bonding interactions of these poly(methacrylamide-co-methyl methacrylate) (PMAAM-co-PMMA) copolymers with various compositions were investigated by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, and solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. A large positive deviation in the behavior of Tg, based on the Kwei equation from DSC analyses, indicates that strong hydrogen bonding exists between these two monomer segments. The FTIR and solid-state NMR spectroscopic analyses give positive evidence for the hydrogen-bonding interaction between the carbonyl group of PMMA and the amide group of PMAAM (e.g. by displaying significant changes in chemical shifts). Furthermore, the proton spin–lattice relaxation time in the rotating frame (T1ρ(H)) has one single value over the entire range of compositions of copolymers, and gives a value shorter than the average predicted. The proton relaxation behavior indicates the rigid nature of the copolymer.