Specific interactions in miscible poly(p-vinylphenol)/poly(N-methyl-3-piperidinemethyl methacrylate) blends

Abstract

Poly(p-vinylphenol) (PVPh) is miscible with poly(N-methyl-3-piperidinemethyl methacrylate) (PM3PMA). The glass transition temperatures of the blends are higher than those calculated from a linear additivity rule. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy shows the existence of hydrogen-bonding interactions between the hydroxyl groups of PVPh and the carbonyl groups of PM3PMA. In addition, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy shows that the piperidine nitrogen atoms of PM3PMA also interact with the hydroxyl groups of PVPh as shown by the development of a high-binding energy N 1s peak in each blend. In contrast, we have earlier reported that the piperidine nitrogen atoms of poly(N-methyl-4-piperidyl methacrylate) are not involved in hydrogen-bonding interactions with PVPh. To better understand the interactions in various blends, ab initio calculations were performed on hyrdrogen-bonded dimers of saturated monomers.