Influence of spacer group on the structure and thermal properties of copolymers based on acrylonitrile and methacrylic 1,3-thiazole and 1,2,3-triazole derivatives

• Copolymerization of acrylonitrile with monomers having triazole and tiazole groups.
• PAN crystalline structure suppression by methacrylic monomer, MTA, introduction.
• Diminishment of Tg with the incorporation of MTA molar fraction in the copolymer.
• Increase of PAN thermal stability by copolymerization with MTA.

The influence of spacer group on the binomial relationship between the structure and thermal properties has been studied in different copolymeric families, considering the insertion either mono or bisheterocyclic pendant groups, as well as the ratio between comonomers. In consequence, six different copolymeric systems based on acrylonitrile and methacrylic monomers bearing 1,3-thiazole and 1,2,3-triazole pendant groups, P(AN-co-MTA), have been synthesized with different compositions by free-radical polymerization in anhydrous DMSO solution at 60 °C. These copolymers have been analyzed by size exclusion chromatography (SEC), Elemental Analysis of CHNS, infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR) and wide-angle X-ray diffraction (WAXS). The thermal behavior of copolymers has been also examined by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). Gordon–Taylor–Wood equation has been used to fit the glass transition temperature variation as a function of acrylonitrile weight molar fraction in the copolymer.

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