The effect of temperature on the free radical copolymerization of methyl methacrylate with ethyl acrylate

Methyl methacrylate has been copolymerized with ethyl acrylate at temperatures between 35 and 65′ using 2,2′-azobisisobutyronitrile as initiator. For both polymer radicals, crosspropagation is favoured energetically whereas self-propagation is favoured entropically. Values of Arrhenius parameters indicate that cross-propagation predominates for ethyl acrylate and self-propagation for methyl methacrylate.