Introducing a 1,1-diphenylethylene analogue for vinylpyridine: anionic copolymerisation of 3-(1-phenylvinyl)pyridine (m-PyPE)

3-(1-Phenylvinyl)pyridine is a structural analogue of 1,1-diphenylethylene, with one phenyl group replaced by pyridine. Its suitability for the random copolymerisation with vinylpyridine is demonstrated and the resulting copolymers are characterized.