Preparation of blends of poly(methyl methacrylate) copolymers with high glass transition temperatures and low hydrophilicity

Poly(methyl methacrylate)-based copolymers were prepared by solution copolymerization of methyl methacrylate (MMA) with methacrylamide (MAAM) or methacrylic acid (MAA) in dioxane. The blends of poly(methyl methacrylate-co-methacrylamide) (MMA-MAAM) with poly(methyl methacrylate-co-methacrylic acid) (MMA-MAA) were prepared by solution blending. The thermal properties of the blends were studied by differential scanning calorimetry. A large positive deviation in the glass transition temperature (Tg) from the Fox equation was observed. The existence of strong hydrogen-bonding interaction between the two copolymers was indicated based on the Kwei equation and conformed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The contact angle measurements showed that the hydrophilicity of the blends is lower than the corresponding copolymers. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 53:2370–2377, 2013. © 2013 Society of Plastics Engineers