Investigation of Hydrolysis in Poly（ethylene terephthalate） by FTIR-ATR

The hydrothermal aging of poly(ethylene terephthalate)(PET) was investigated at 70 95 °C. A new method to investigate the hydrolysis degree of PET by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy(FTIR) was proposed. The spectra during the hydrothermal aging were measured using attenuated total reflection accessory(ATR). Peak resolving of carbonyl regions was performed, and the ratio of two groups of bands representing carboxylic acids and esters respectively were calculated to show the hydrolysis degree of ester groups in PET. The acid/ester ratio shows exactly the same trend as the average chain scission number per unit mass at various temperatures and thus can be used as a parameter to characterize the hydrolysis and random chain scission of PET. This method related to the hydrolysis mechanism directly, is simple, fast and convenient compared to the traditional methods such as viscometry, end-group titration and size exclusion chromatography(SEC). It may also be useful in hydrolysis characterization of other polyesters.     

Thermal oxidation of poly(ethylene-co-carbon monoxide) and polyethylene

Thermal oxidations at 101°C of ethylene-carbon monoxide (E/CO) copolymer and low-density polyethylene (DYNK) were studied over the range of 0–30 mL oxygen absorbed per gram of polymer. Relative changes in reaction rates, chemical composition, and molecular weights of the polymers were observed using oxygen uptake, infrared spectroscopy, and gel permeation chromatography. At comparable oxidation rates, differences in concentrations of most functional groups appeared to be small, except for the IR peak attributed to non-hydrogen-bonded hydroperoxide which was absent in the spectrum of E/CO copolymer. The extent of scission at comparable oxygen absorption was greater in E/CO than DYNK, since ketonic carbonyl groups were oxidized faster than methylene groups.     

Photodegradation of cellulose acetate fibers

The photodegradation of cellulose acetate fibers by ultraviolet light in vacuo at 77°K and at ambient temperature was studied. Three kinds of light sources with different wavelengths between 2353 and 6000 Å were employed. ESR studies at 77°K show that several kinds of free radicals are produced from cellulose diacetate (CDA) and cellulose triacetate (CTA) fibers when irradiated with light of wavelength shorter than 2800 Å. Among these methyl radicals formed decayed within 210 min at 77°K. When the temperature was raised above 77°K, radical transformation occurred at 87°K and most of the free radicals decayed at 193°K, whereas the cellulosic radicals were stable at this and even at higher temperatures. Ultraviolet spectroscopy studies revealed that the main chromophores are the carbonyl function of the acetyl group and acetal groups in the polymer. The photodegradation of the polymers at ambient temperature resulted in the formation of gaseous products (mainly CO, CO₂, and CH₄), together with the loss of bound acetic acid content and sample weight. Decreases in viscosity and reduction of tensile strength and elongation were also observed in the irradiated samples, revealing that the overt effects of ultraviolet light on cellulose acetate fibers are interpreted in terms of free-radical reactions ultimately leading to main-chain and side-group scissions, unsaturation, and the formation of small molecule fragments. Among these, main-chain scission took place predominantly in CDA fiber and side-group scission in CTA fiber. The mechanism of the fundamental photochemical degradation processes of cellulose acetate fibers is elucidated.     

Novel polymers with a high carboxylic acid loading

Click chemistry has been used to prepare a range of novel polymers with pendant carboxylic acid side groups. Four azido carboxylic acids, either mono‐ or difunctional and aliphatic or aromatic, have been prepared and thoroughly characterized. Extensive model reactions with 1‐ethyl‐4‐hydroxybenzene, the simplest model for poly(4‐hydroxystyrene), and the four azido carboxylic acids have been conducted to establish the proper reaction conditions and provide an analytical frame for the corresponding polymers. Poly(4‐hydroxystyrene) moieties in three different polymers—poly(4‐hydroxystyrene), poly(4‐hydroxystyrene‐co‐methyl methacrylate), and poly(4‐hydroxystyrene‐b‐styrene)—have been quantitatively transformed into oxypropynes by the use of either Williamson or Mitsunobu strategies and subsequently reacted with the azido carboxylic acids. Detailed differential scanning calorimetry investigations of all the polymers in general exhibit [when poly(4‐hydroxystyrene) is a substantial part] significant changes in the glass‐transition temperature from the polar poly(4‐hydroxystyrene) (120–130 °C) to the much less polar alkyne polymers (46–60 °C). A direct correlation between the nature of the pendant groups in the derivatized polymers and the glass‐transition temperature has emerged: the aromatic carboxylic acids give high glass‐transition temperatures (90–120 °C), and the aliphatic carboxylic acids give lower glass‐transition temperatures (50–65 °C). © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 44:6360–6377, 2006     

Analysis of nonvolatile oxidation products of polypropylene. III. Photodegradation

The nonvolatile oxidation products of photodegraded polypropylene have been analyzed by infrared spectroscopy and chemical reactions. The major functional group is ester followed by vinyl alkene, then acid. In comparison, thermally oxidized polypropylene contains relatively more aldehyde, ketone, and γ-lactone and much less ester and vinyl alkene. Photodegraded polyethylene contains mostly vinyl alkene followed by carboxylic acid. Gel-permeation chromatography (GPC) determined the decrease in polypropylene molecular weights with exposure time. A calculation determined that there is one functional group formed per chain scission; in thermal oxidation there are two groups formed per scission.     

The thermo-oxidative degradation of polyolefines—Part 10. Correlation between the formation of carboxyl groups and scission in the oxidation of polyethylene in the melt phase

Films of low density polyethylene have been degraded under an oxygen atmosphere at temperatures above the semicrystalline melting point. Time, conversion and temperature dependence of carboxyl group formation and chain scission have been studied. After induction periods we found linear dependences both in function of time and conversion. One third of absorbed oxygen forms carboxyl groups and the absorption of 3·57 mmol oxygen per monomer unit is needed for one chain scission. Maximum rates of carboxyl formation and chain scission have Arrhenius temperature dependence with 33·5 kcal/mole activation energy. The number of carboxyl groups and chain scissions are always practically the same; we assume that the isomerisation of secondary alkyl peroxy radicals simultaneously causes chain scission and carboxyl formation.     

Gamma-, photo-, and thermally-initiated oxidation of isotactic polypropylene

The detailed oxidation products have been identified and compared from the γ-, photo-, and thermally-initiated oxidation of unstabilized polypropylene films. Products were identified and quantified by a combination of iodometric analysis and infrared spectroscopy. Spectral resolution was enhanced by derivatization reactions which allow the quantification of primary, secondary, and tertiary hydroperoxide and alcohol groups as well as more reliable analysis of carbonyl species. In contrast to polyethylene oxidation which yields predominantly ketone with lesser amounts of secondary hydroperoxide and carboxylic acid, polypropylene oxidizes to give predominantly tertiary hydroperoxide and lesser quantities of secondary hydroperoxide and ketone. In addition carboxylic acid groups are a minor product except at high degrees of thermal and photoinitiated oxidation. © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Multiscale physicochemical characterization of a short glass fiber–reinforced polyphenylene sulfide composite under aging and its thermo‐oxidative mechanism

In this paper, the thermo‐oxidation for a short glass fiber–reinforced polyphenylene sulfide (PPS/GF) composite was experimentally and theoretically studied by a wide range of physicochemical and mechanical techniques. The accelerated thermal aging temperatures were fixed at 100°C, 140°C, 160°C, 180°C, and 200°C. Firstly, the results of weight loss under aging indicate the formation of volatile products because of chain scission of end groups. Also, Fourier‐transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) results suggest that the formation and accumulation of carbonyl group arising from the formation of hydroperoxides in oxidative propagation process. In all cases of different thermal oxidation temperatures, it is hard to observe some significant change about the concentration of carbonyl group during the induction time. This induction time depends inversely on the oxidation temperature. Moreover, the cross‐linking and chain scissions exist together according to the results of rheological results and it is easier to see the cross‐linking phenomenon at the beginning of oxidation while the chain scissions are more pronounced, with the oxidation process developing further. In aspect of mechanical properties, σ_max increases at the beginning of oxidation because of cross‐linking, and subsequently, the σ_max always decreases because of thermo‐oxidation of the PPS matrix. In addition, the detailed thermo‐oxidation processes are fully discussed in the end of this study. A mechanistic schema has been proposed to present different oxidation reactions of PPS polymer and then a kinetic model has been extracted from this mechanism. Afterwards, the model has been verified by experimental results at different temperatures.     

A study of the synthesis and some reactions of perimidines

A study of the preparation of perimidines from 1,8-diaminonaphthalene and carbonyl compounds is presented. The optimum conditions for the reaction of the above diamine with carboxylic acids and esters, acid chlorides, anhydrides and aldehydes are defined. The chemical behavior and a number of previously unreported reactions of perimidines are presented. The latter include N-alkylations, reductions, oxidations and acylations.     

Degradation of polymer blends—Part XI. Blends of polystyrene with polyisoprene

The degradation behaviour of polystyrene and cis-1,4-polyisoprene when both are present in the same film as a 1:1 blend has been compared with that when the polymers are degraded separately. Degradations have been studied under programmed heating conditions using TG, TVA, DTA and DSC and also under isothermal conditions at 340 and 360°C. Volatile products of degradation have been studied and separated by sub-ambient TVA and also identified by spectroscopic methods. The volatile products from the blend are the same as those from the constituent polymers. Volatile production occurs less readily for each polymer than when it is degraded alone. Stabilisation of PS is especially marked and under isothermal conditions at the above temperatures, PS does not evolve volatiles until PI degradation is completed. Chain scission in PS, prior to volatilisation, is increased, however, in the presence of PI. It is concluded that the increased scission results from attack on PS by PI radicals of short chain length and that the stabilisation effect on the PS is due to an inhibiting action of dipentene evolved by the PI. Both these reactions follow diffusion of mobile species of rather low volatility from the PI phase into the PS phase.     

Chemiluminescence of hydrocarbon polymers

The thermal oxidation of some hydrecarbon polymers differing by their degree of branching was studied simultaneously by chemiluminescence and infrared spectrophotometry. In the case of isotactic polypropylene, measurements were made at various temperatures ranging from 140 to 180°C. The other polymers—ethylene–propylene copolymer, low and high density polyethylene—were studied only at 160°C. In all cases, the induction times of chemiluminescence coincide with those of carbonyl growth. The previously proposed mechanisms of light emission are not consistent with the kinetic data or with the structure effects on luminescence, which seems directly related with the presence of tertiary hydrogens. A hypothetical mechanism based on the β scission of tertiary alkoxyls is proposed.     

光/生物降解聚乙烯薄膜的光降解性能

光/生物降解聚乙烯薄膜的光降解性能;淀粉;聚乙烯;塑料薄膜;降解性能     

Thermal decomposition behavior of naphthalene-labeled polyethylene

Pyrolysis–GC/mass spectrometry experiments reveal that naphthalene groups attached to maleated polyethylene as the 1-naphthylethyl ester are stable for relatively long periods of time at 170°C. Decomposition can be detected for samples heated for 2.0 min at 200°C, but even at that temperature, the extent of decomposition is very small. At higher temperatures, two of the decomposition products from the labeled polymer are readily understood: 1-vinylnaphthalene and 1-naphthylethanol can form by reactions that are well-precedented in the organic chemistry literature. At 200°C, only naphthalene is formed, which requires scission of the bond between the naphthyl ring and the C₁ carbon of the ethyl group. We suggest two possible pathways for this reaction. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 34:2045–2049, 1996     

Synthesis and characterization of high molecular weight carboxylated polybutadiene

High molecular weight carboxylated polybutadienes (cPBDs) with number-average molecular weight (M_n) from 98,000 to 200,000 and carboxylic acid (COOH) contents of 0.5–10 mol % were successfully synthesized through hydrocarboxylation of polybutadienes (PBDs) at temperatures of 140–150°C using PdCl₂(PPh₃)₂ and SnCl₂ · 2H₂O catalysts. At low extents of hydrocarboxylation (COOH < 6 mol %), glass transition temperatures (T_g's) of the resulting cPBDs did not change considerably (<10°C). Significant chain scission and crosslinking was not detected during the chemical modification process. Characterization of the microstructures of cPBDs by FTIR, ¹³C-NMR, and Raman spectroscopy showed that the carboxylic groups were incorporated on the pendant (1,2) PBD double bonds as well as the backbone (1,4) double bonds, indicating the hydrocarboxylation reaction did not solely occur at the terminal carbons of the pendant double bonds. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 37: 3129–3138, 1999     

Photosensitized and photostabilized oxidation of poly(2,6-dimethyl- 1,4-phenylene oxide) with metal isopropylxanthates

This work describes the results of the Cd(II) isopropylxanthate-stabilized and Mn(III) isopropylxanthate-sensitized photo-oxidation of poly(2,6-dimethyl-1,4-phenylene oxide) film in air at low temperatures (?10 to 80°). The oxidation was followed by light scattering, potassium ferri-oxalate actinometry and by measuring gel formation. The weight-average molecular weight, degree of degradation, rate of scission of links, energy of activation and quantum yield of the process depend on several factors, e.g. temperature, xanthate concentration. Various oxygen-containing groups (hydroperoxides, carbonyls, etc.) are formed in the polymer. For the determination of the content of these groups, iodometry and spectroscopy were applied. The initially present or photo-induced hydroperoxides are directly responsible for subsequent oxidative reactions which occur during 254-nm irradiation. The absorption spectra of the degraded materials in the u.v. and i.r. regions were also studied to substantiate a possible mechanism of the oxidation process.     

Linear polyurethanes made from naturally occurring tartaric acid

Naturally occurring tartaric acid was used as raw material for the synthesis of novel linear polyurethanes (PURs) bearing two carboxylate side‐groups in the repeating unit. Aliphatic and aromatic PURs were obtained by reaction in solution of alkyl and benzyl tartrates with hexamethylene diisocyanate and 4,4′‐methylene‐bis(phenyl isocyanate), respectively. All the novel PURs were thermally stable and optically active. The aliphatic carboxylate‐containing PURs had M_w in the 40–70 kDa range, with PD between 2.1 and 2.5; all were semicrystalline polymers with melting temperatures between 100 and 150 °C and T_g in the 50–80 °C range. The aromatic PURs were amorphous materials with molecular weights between 18 kDa and 25 kDa and T_g above 130 °C. Hydrogenolysis of the PUR made from hexamethylene diisocyanate and benzyl tartrate yielded PURs containing up to 40% of free carboxylic side‐groups. The tartrate‐derived PURs displayed enhanced sensitivity to hydrolysis compared with their unsubstituted 2,6‐PUR homologs. The PURs bearing free carboxylic groups were unique in being degraded by water upon incubation under physiological conditions. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 47: 2391–2407, 2009     

Thermal degradation of polymers: Part XXIX—Vacuum pyrolysis of poly(m-acetamidostyrene): The residue and the fraction volatile at pyrolysis temperature but involatile at ambient temperature

Comparative studies were made of (a) the residue and (b) the fraction volatile at pyrolysis temperature but involatile at ambient temperature, from polystyrene and poly(m-acetamidostyrene) degraded under identical conditions. Poly(m-acetamidostyrene) yields residues which become insoluble at temperatures greater than 250°C in solvents for the linear polymer. Crosslinking is accompanied by N-acyl bond scission and weight loss behaviour is molecular weight dependent. Possible routes to the formation of crosslinked residues are presented and discussed.     

Syntheses and crosslinking reactions of self-curable copolymers containing pendant cyclic iminoethers and carboxylic acid groups

Soluble copolymers containing both pendant cyclic iminoethers such as 4,4-dimethyl-2-oxazoline or 4,4,6-trimethyl-4H-dihydro-1,3-oxazine and carboxylic acid were successfully synthesized by radical copolymerizations of 4,4-dimethyl-2-vinyl-2-oxazoline, 4,4-dimethyl-2-isopropenyl-2-oxazoline, or 4,4,6-trimethyl-2-vinyl-4H-dihydro-1,3-oxazine with methacrylic acid and styrene, methyl methacrylate, or ethyl acrylate using AIBN as an initiator in benzene or DMF at 60 or 80°C. The crosslinking reaction of the copolymers obtained did not occur by heating at 70°C. However, these copolymers quantitatively produced gel products by heating at 130°C. The rate of crosslinking reaction of the copolymer increased with increasing pendant cyclic iminoether and carboxylic acid groups. The rate of crosslinking was also affected by the molecular motion of the polymer chain. Our results show that the copolymers of more sterically hindered 2-vinyl-2-oxazolines are more stable and so they can be crosslinked in a controlled manner and at higher temperatures than the previously studied polyoxaziline system.     

Chemical reactions and reactivity of primary,secondary, and tertiary diamines with acid functionalized polymers

Reactive melt processing of different types of diamines with polyethylene containing carboxylic acid groups and polystyrene containing anhydride groups was carried out. The reactivity of primary, secondary, and tertiary diamines with these acid polymers was determined using various techniques. Molecular weight increases due to crosslinking were observed through (1) changes in the torque during the reactive processing, (2) decrease in melt flow indices, and (3) decrease in solubility of the reaction products. The chemical compositions of the reaction products were examined by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. Thermal analysis using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) was carried out to determine the crystallization behavior, glass transition temperatures, and thermal stabilities of the reaction products. Results show that the primary amine is the most reactive towards carboxylic acid or anhydride groups followed by the secondary and then the tertiary amine. Anhydride groups on polymers are of higher activity towards secondary or primary amino groups than carboxylic acid groups in the nucleophilic acyl substitution reactions. Reaction products crosslinked with the primary diamine are less stable than their parent acidic polymers. On the other hand, crosslinking with the secondary or tertiary diamine gives products with higher thermal stability than the parent acidic polymers. The formation of reversible and irreversible crosslinks with different types of diamines is also reported. © 1992 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Thermal degradation of copolymers of styrene and acrylonitrile. III. Chain-scission reaction

The chain-scission reaction which occurs in copolymers of styrene and acrylonitrile has been studied at temperatures of 262, 252, and 240°C. Under these conditions volatilization is negligible, and chain scission can be studied in virtual isolation. At 262°C three kinds of chain scission are discernible, namely, at weak links which are associated with styrene units, “normal” scission in styrene segments of the chain and scission associated with the acrylonitrile units. The rate constants for normal scission and scission associated with acrylonitrile units are in the ratio of approximately 1 to 30. The molecular weight of the copolymer has no effect on the rates of scission. At 252°C the same general behavior is observed for the copolymers containing up to 24.9% acrylonitrile. The 33.4% acrylonitrile copolymer is anomalous, however. At 240°C the trends observed at 262°C appear to break down completely although individual experiments are quite reproducible. This behavior at the lower temperatures is believed to be associated with the fact that the melting points of the various copolymers are in this temperature range. Thus the viscosity of the medium, which should be expected to have a strong influence on the chain scission reaction, will be changing rapidly with temperature, copolymer composition, and molecular weight in this temperature range.