Abstract
Summary: For industrial polymer applications, the structure‐property relation during thermal treatment is of high interest. If a polymer is degraded, its molecular structure will alter, and its mechanical properties are affected as well; thus limiting the usability. The objective of this paper is to highlight the effect of thermal degradation on the glass transition temperature of the remaining polymer. We used commercial atactic poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) as an example. The residue of an oxidatively degraded PMMA was analyzed in terms of its structure‐property relation. A characteristic evolution of the glass transition temperature as a function of degradation time was observed. The glass transition temperature of the degradation product correlates with the molecular weight, monomer content, and tacticity of the remaining polymer. Based on the T~g~ data, four different degradation domains are discussed in detail. Each period is characterized by a certain trend in T~g~ due to specialities of the superimposing rate processes.
Glass transition temperature versus normalized weight loss as determined by DDSC measurements.
magnified imageGlass transition temperature versus normalized weight loss as determined by DDSC measurements.