THE CHARACTERIZATION OF SOME METHACRYLATE AND ACRYLATE HOMOPOLYMERS, COPOLYMERS AND FIBERS VIA DIRECT PYROLYSIS MASS SPECTROSCOPY &Ouml / zlem G&uuml / ndogdu, Suriye Ph.D., Department of Polymer Science and Technology Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Jale Hacaloglu December 2012, 177 pages Poly(methyl methacrylate) possesses many desirable properties and is used in various areas. However, the relatively low glass transition temperature limits its applications in textile and optical-electronic industries. Monomers containing isobornyl, benzyl and butyl groups as the side chain are chosen to copolymerize with MMA to increase Tg and to obtain fibers with PMMA. In this work, thermal degradation characteristics, degradation products and mechanisms of methacrylate homopolymers, poly(methyl methacrylate), poly(butyl methacrylate), poly(isobornyl methacrylate) and poly(benzyl methacrylate), acrylate homopolymers, poly(n-butyl acrylate), poly(t-butyl acrylate), poly(isobornyl acrylate), two, three and four component copolymers of MMA and fibers are analyzed via direct pyrolysis mass spectrometry. The effects of substituents on the main and side chains, the components present in the copolymers and fiber formation on thermal stability, degradation characteristics and degradation mechanisms are investigated. According to the results obtained, the depolymerization mechanism yielding mainly the monomer is the main thermal decomposition route for the methacrylate polymers, acrylate polymers degradation occurs by H-transfer reactions from the main chain to the carbonyl groups. However, when the alkoxy group involves