Influence of substituents on positron annihilation in styrene copolymers

Results of angular correlation of annihilation radiation (ACAR) and positron annihilation lifetime (PAL) measurements are presented for five styrene copolymers: poly(co-styrene-phenylmaleimide) and its three derivatives with chlorine as well as for one with the OH group substituted at the benzene ring. It occurs that the chlorine substituted at three different positions at the benzene ring poly(co-styrene-o (or-m,-p)-chlorophenylmaleimide) inhibits the formation of the positronium to different extent. The greatest effect is observed in case of the chlorine atom substituted at the benzene ring at the ortho-position towards the nitrogen atom. The two long lifetimes (₃ and ₄) observed in the lifetime spectra are connected with the bimodal distributions of the free volume radius in the samples.