Characterization of Electron Beam-Induced Polymerization of Isodecyl Methacrylate, Benzyl Methacrylate, and Their Equimolar Mixture Based on Monomer Properties

The study examined the polymerization of methacrylic acid derivatives with bulky substituents (isodecyl-, benzyl-), as well as the synthesis of their copolymer through radiation initiation followed by thermal treatment. It has been discovered that the polymerization rate in equimolar monomer mixtures substantially surpasses the rate in pure monomers. We hypothesize that the substantial degree of association with the liquid monomer hinders structural rearrangements preceding polymerization. We tested this hypothesis by employing various analytical methods.