Improvement of the thermal stability of cluster‐crosslinked polystyrene and poly(methyl methacrylate) by optimization of the polymerization conditions

The polymerization conditions for polystyrene and poly(methyl methacrylate) crosslinked by 0.5 mol % of the cluster Zr₆O₄(OH)₄(methacrylate)₁₂ were optimized by applying a step polymerization procedure. The onset of thermal decomposition was thus increased up to about 50° for polystyrene and about 110° for poly(methyl methacrylate). The increase in thermal stability correlated with a higher char yield. The glass transition temperatures were also increased by about 15°. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 43: 6586–6591, 2005