Studies on the Self-condensing Vinyl Polymerization of a Novel Maleimide Inimer

The self-condensing vinyl polymerization(SCVP) of a novel maleimide inimer(initiator-monomer) 1, N-(4-α-bromobutyryloxy phenyl) maleimide with the complex of CuBr/Bipy(2, 2′-bipyridine) as the catalyst was studied. GPC was used to determine the molecular weight and the results show that the molecular weight increases exponentially with polymerization time during the first hour, and then the rate of increase molecular weight slows down. The molecular weight also increases with increasing dosage of the catalyst. The coincidence of the molecular weights determined by 1H NMR and GPC proves that the polymer obtained from the SCVP of inimer 1 has a linear structure, which is further verified by 13C NMR spectrum. A hyperbranched polymer was obtained by the copolymerization of inimer 1 and styrene.