An assessment of the copolymerization reaction between styrene and 2-methylene-1,3-dioxepane

The copolymerization behaviour of 2-methylene-1,3-dioxepane (MDO) with styrene has been studied via pulsed-laser polymerization. The average propagation rate coefficients, 〈kp〉,were determined for a number of feed ratios of MDO ranging from 0 to 0.938 at both 30 and 40°C. Both the 〈kp〉 and the polymer composition data indicate a complete absence of copolymerization — contrary to a previously published study. The experimental data indicate the homopolymerization of styrene, with the MDO merely acting as a diluent.