Terpolymerization of ethyl methacrylate,N‐phenylmaleimide,and itaconic acid

The terpolymerization of ethyl methacrylate (EMA), N‐phenylmaleimide (NPMI), and itaconic acid (IA) was investigated. The terpolymer composition was determined by elemental analysis and ¹H NMR spectroscopy. The reactivity ratios of the three binary systems (EMA/NPMI, EMA/IA, and NPMI/IA) were calculated and used for the calculation of the terpolymer composition with the terminal model equations. A comparison between the experimental and theoretical compositions was made. The rate of the terpolymerization process was measured dilatometrically at two total monomer concentrations; this was done to establish the presence of intermolecular interactions between the investigated monomers. The thermal analysis of the obtained terpolymers was performed by thermogravimetric analysis. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 41: 3180–3187, 2003