Radical copolymerization of photocrosslinkable cinnamoylphenylmethacrylate and acrylamide

Copolymers of 4-Cinnamoylphenylmethacrylate (4-CPMA) and acrylamide (AA) were prepared in a ethylmethylketone (MEK) solution with benzoylperoxide (BPO) as a radical initiator at 70 °C. They were characterized by IR, ¹H NMR, and ¹³C NMR techniques. Copolymer compositions were determined from ¹H NMR spectra. The monomer reactivity ratios and the copolymer composition were determined by using Finemann-Ross (F-R) and Kelen-Tudos (K-T) methods. Thermogravimetric analysis of copolymers reveals that the thermal stability of the copolymer increases with an increase in the mole fraction of CPMA in the copolymer. The photocrosslinking of the copolymer were studied in solution.