Effect of Interpenetrating Polymer Network Formation with Polystyrene on the Thermal Stability of Poly (2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) and Poly (2-acetoxyethyl methacrylate)

Abstract

Interpenetrating polymer network (IPN) beads composed of poly (2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) (PHEMA) or poly (2-acetoxyethyl methacrylate) (PAEMA) and polystyrene (PS), with diameter of 300-500μm, were prepared via two-stage suspension polymerization, and thermal stability of these IPN beads were investigated using thermogravimetric analysis. It was found that the formation of IPN structure with high PS content enhanced the thermal stability of PAE and PHEMA. The IPNs obtained with lightly cross-linked seed polymers exhibited higher thermal stability. The morphology of the IPNs was examined by transmission electron microscopy and the thermal stability was attributed to the more interpenetrating molecules in the inter-phase region of the two components.