Thermal-Properties Of N-Substituted 4-Vinylpyridinium Ions And Their Polymers

4-Vinylpyridinium trifluoromethanesulfonate monomers substituted at nitrogen with H, O, CH3, C2H5, C6H13, and C12H25 were synthesized and characterized spectroscopically. Thermal analyses (DSC and TGA) were carried out on all the compounds. The solid monomers (NH, NCH3, NC6H13, and NC12H25) exhibited endothermic melting followed by exothermic polymerization and exothermic decomposition (>400°C). Liquid NC2H5 monomer revealed only exothermic polymerization and decomposition. The NO polymer underwent thermal decomposition below 300°C. The N–C12H25 homopolymer, prepared from monomer in the DSC or in bulk, displayed an unusual thermal transition at 250°C, which has been attributed to a polymer backbone reorientation leading to side-chain ordering of the dodecyl groups.