The physical properties of polymers are significantly affected by relaxation processes. Recently, we reported that poly(diethyl fumarate) (PDEF) shows two thermal anomalies on DSC measurement, despite the fact that it is a homopolymer. We attribute these two relaxations α relaxation and β relaxation, respectively. In this study, we investigate the two relaxations of fumarate-containing polymers by DSC, solid-state NMR, and X-ray scattering. The two relaxations are present even in a copolymer of diethyl fumarate and ethyl acrylate with fumarate segments of 30%. We used poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) as a model polymer for comparison, since there are detailed investigations of its dynamics and physical properties. Solid-state NMR indicates that the very local relaxation of poly(fumarate)s is not significantly different from that of PMMA. The tensile test showed that PDEF is still brittle at above β relaxation temperature and below α relaxation temperature. It was revealed that a structural anisotropy appeared when PDEF was extended at around α relaxation temperature. We discuss the effect of the glassy packing of the rigid polymer chain including the DEF segments on the strong β relaxation behavior. Our data provide insight into the microscopic mechanism of β relaxation of vinyl polymers.
Keywords: amorphous structure; differential scanning calorimetry; poly(fumarate)s; β relaxation.