| Abstract: | The synthesis and characterization of copolymers containing 2‐ethylhexyl methacrylate and a quadruple‐hydrogen‐bonding site, 2‐ureido‐41H]‐pyrimidone methacrylate (UPyMA), are described. An analogous dimeric hydrogen‐bond‐containing copolymer based on 2‐ethylhexyl methacrylate and methacrylic acid (PEHMA‐co‐MAA) was also synthesized for comparative purposes. The glass‐transition temperatures of the poly(2‐ethylhexyl methacrylate‐co‐2‐ureido‐41H]‐pyrimidone methacrylate) (PEHMA‐co‐UPyMA) series increased linearly with increasing UPyMA content. Creep compliance measurements as a function of temperature indicated a decrease in the creep compliance with increasing UPyMA content over the range of 1–10 mol % UPyMA. Melt rheological analysis also showed an increase and lengthening of the plateau modulus as a function of frequency with increasing UPyMA content, as well as increasing complex viscosity as a function of temperature. The analogous PEHMA‐co‐MAA copolymer, which contained 11 mol % methacrylic acid, showed, in the melt rheological analysis, behavior similar to that of the PEHMA‐co‐UPyMA copolymer containing only 1 mol % UPyMA units. The multiple‐hydrogen‐bond‐containing copolymers were successfully analyzed with time–temperature superposition for the construction of master curves. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 43: 4618–4631, 2005 |
