Thermal degradation of ethyleneurea formaldehyde polycondensates

✍ Scribed by Giovanni Camino; Maria Paola Luda; Luigi Costa; Marino Guaita

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1996
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 733 KB
• Volume: 197
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 1022-1352
• DOI: 10.1002/macp.1996.021970104

✦ Synopsis

Abstract

The mechanism of thermal degradation of the polymer obtained by polycondensation of ethyleneurea with formaldehyde was studied in detail using several techniques. On heating the polymer undergoes crystallisation at about 175°C. Upon melting (at 355°C) further condensation of ethyleneurea with formaldehyde takes place with elimination of water. This process overlaps with the degradation of the polymer which occurs with formation of a complex mixture of volatile products and of a charred residue. The largest fraction of the volatile products of degradation is a low boiling mixture of ethyleneurea with chain fragments containing NH, N‐methyl and unsaturated structures as end groups. A small fraction of gases such as methane, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide etc. is also evolved. A degradation mechanism is proposed, which accounts for the experimental results.