Thermal degradation of ethylene-carbon monoxide alternating copolymer under inert atmosphere

✍ Scribed by De Vito, Silvia; Ciardelli, Francesco; Ruggeri, Giacomo; Chiantore, Oscar; Moro, Alessandro

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1998
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 521 KB
• Volume: 45
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0959-8103
• DOI: 10.1002/(sici)1097-0126(199804)45:4<353::aid-pi942>3.0.co;2-m

✦ Synopsis

This work aims to understand the mechanism of the thermal degradation of the ethyleneÈcarbon monoxide (E-CO) alternating copolymer under mild conditions. The copolymer was subjected to accelerated ageing in an oven at di †erent temperatures below the copolymer melting point, under argon atmosphere, and in the absence of light. The properties of the aged samples were compared with the properties of the untreated copolymer. Untreated and aged samples were analysed by mass spectroscopy (MS) with the direct introduction probe (DIP) and pyrolysis (Py) techniques.

The accelerated ageing experiments showed that the thermal degradation of the E-CO alternating copolymer under inert atmosphere is characterized by chain cross-linking, loss of water, and changes in the UV absorption spectrum. The IR spectrum shows modiÐcations only for highly degraded samples in which OwH and CxC groups are present. The experiments performed with the DIP-MS technique have conÐrmed that the E-CO alternating copolymer loses water during its thermal ageing. The pyrolysis products of the copolymer are linear molecules with 1,4-diketonic structure, 2-cyclopentenone derivatives, alkyl furans, and aromatic compounds. These results suggest that during the thermal degradation of the E-CO alternating copolymer under inert atmosphere, and at low temperatures, aldol condensations and/or dehydration to furan rings probably occur. 1998 SCI. ( Polym. Int. 45, 353È365 (1998)