Two phthalimidoalkylacrylates (PhAA)s, phthalimidoethyl acrylate (PhEA) andphthalimidopropyl acrylate (PhPA), and the corresponding poly(acrylate)s (PPhEA, PPhPA) were synthesized by radical polymerization using , ’-azobisisobutyronitrile (AIBN) as the initiator. Polymers were characterized by proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H-NMR) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR). Thermal analysis was performed by thermogravimetry (TGA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Using the Langmuir Blodgett (LB) technique, the surface-area (π-A) isotherms at the air-water interface were determined for both polymers. Polymers show stable monolayers, which were characterized, and the surface parameters were determined. From contact angle measurements using the Owens, Wendt, and Kaelble (OWK) method, the surface free energies (SE) were estimated for both polymers. The behavior of poly(phthalimidoalkyl acrylate)s (PPhAA)s and poly(phthalimidoalkyl methacrylate)s (PPhAMA) was compared to corroborate the effect of the chemical structure on the surface behavior. The effect of the side chain structure on the surface behavior shows that as the length of the substituent increases the zero surface pressure A0 and the collapse pressure πc diminishes.
