Synthesis of fluorescent poly(1-vinylimidazole-co-(1-pyrene) methyl 2-methyl-2-propenote) and determination of monomer reactivity ratios

A new fluorescent copolymer, poly(1-vinylimidazole- co -(1-pyrene) methyl 2-methyl-2-propenote) (VI- co -PyMMP), has been designed and synthesized by a free-radical copolymerization of VI and PyMMP as well as characterized using ultraviolet (UV), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), 1 H NMR, and fluorescence spectroscopies. The monomer reactivity ratios are determined by two methods of Fineman-Ross ( r 1 = 0.28 ± 0.04 for VI, r 2 = 1.32 ± 0.11 for PyMMP) and Kelen-Tüdös ( r 1 = 0.23 ± 0.05, r 2 = 1.22 ± 0.12). Based on the reactivity ratios, the monomer sequence lengths and Q and e for PyMMP monomer are further calculated. The results suggest that the copolymerization of VI and PyMMP is a nonideal copolymerization without an azeotropic point (i.e., r 1 < 1, r 2 > 1 and r 1 r 2 < 1) and has a low alternation tendency. The conclusions drawn in this work may not only direct the later synthesis of the copolymers but also enrich the database of free-radical copolymerization. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2012