DSC combined with chemiluminescence for studying polymer oxidation

The oxidation of (Ti,W)C ceramics have been studied as a part of the program to investigate of properties of powder materials. Thermogravimetry, derivative thermogravimetry (TG-DTG), and differential thermal analysis DSC have been used in the non-isothermal study of powder oxidation (Ti,W)C in dry air atmosphere. The powder of crystalline carbide cermets with a ratio of W:Ti equals 0.3 was used in this study. The diagrams were recorded on a sample mass 3.42 mg on the Setaram apparatus in temperatures ranging from 25 to 1000°C. Seven different heating rates were used. The analytical techniques SEM, WDX, EDX and XRD were used in the research. The kinetics of the oxidation process was followed by the integral method by applying the Coats-Redfern's approximation. The kinetic models of particular stages of (Ti,W)C oxidation were evaluated from the dynamic mass losses data. The values of apparent activation energy E and the pre-exponential factor A of each stage of the oxidation were calculated. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Photophysics of 6-(2′-hydroxy-4′-methoxyphenyl)-s-triazine photostabilizers

The room temperature photophysical properties of several sulphonated and unsulphonated 6-(2′-hydroxy-4′-methoxyphenyl)-s-triazines were investigated in a range of solvents by means of steady state and picosecond fluorescence spectroscopy. Compounds possessing phenyl or p-tolyl groups in the s-triazinyl ring exhibit only a very weak normal Stokes-shifted fluorescence, arising from the initially excited chromophore. Substitution of phenoxy groups into the s-triazinyl ring results in the appearance of an additional longer-wavelength fluorescence which is assigned to the keto tautomer, formed following excited state intramolecular proton transfer (ESIPT). The rate constant for the (ESIPT) process that occurs in sodium 3-(3′,5′-diphenoxy-2′,4′,6′-triazinyl)-4-hydroxy-2-methoxybenzene sulphonate in water is estimated to be greater than 10¹¹ s⁻¹.     

Ordered clusters and dynamical states of particles in a vibrated fluid

Fluid-mediated interactions between particles in a vibrating fluid lead to both long range attraction and short range repulsion. The resulting patterns include hexagonally ordered microcrystallites, time-periodic structures, and chaotic fluctuating patterns with complex dynamics. A model based on streaming flow gives a good quantitative account of the attractive part of the interaction.     

Non-isothermal depolymerisation kinetics of poly(ethylene oxide)

The depolymerisation of low molecular weight poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) under mild conditions was studied using a linear temperature ramped non-isothermal technique and the results compared with those obtained from a conventional isothermal technique. The analysis of the non-isothermal kinetic (NIK) data was performed using an original computer program incorporating an algorithm that systematically minimizes the sum of the squares of the residuals between the experimental data and the calculated theoretical kinetic profile in order to extract the kinetic parameters. The results revealed that the depolymerisation of PEO proceeds in accordance with the Ekenstam model and follows the Arrhenius equation over the temperature range of ca. 40-130 °C. The NIK analysis resulted in a two-dimensional convergence to produce a unique solution set for the kinetic parameters of E_a = 89.4 kJ mol⁻¹ and A = 9.6 × 10⁶ h⁻¹. These data are consistent with the results obtained from the isothermal experiments. It is proposed that NIK analysis is a quick and reliable means of obtaining kinetic parameters relevant to lifetime predictions in polymers whose degradation behaviour can be considered to be close to ideal.     

New approach to the measurement of polymer photooxidation

In an attempt to eradicate many of the problems associated with outdoor and accelerated testing of polymeric formulations, an apparatus was constructed for the sensitive measurement of oxygen uptake into a polymer during its incipient stages of photooxidation. The photooxidation curves of certain HDPE and LDPE formulations demonstrate a first order asymptotic approach to a limiting value which corresponds to the initial number of reactive centers that are available in the material for oxygen attack. An equation for oxygen uptake as a function of time is derived which incorporates the asymptotic value together with a constant whose value reflects the rate at which the asymptote is approached. These parameters are used to calculate the value of the initial quantum yield for oxygen uptake, a quantity which is indicative of the relative photostability of a given formulation. The kinetics parameters obtained from analyses of certain photooxidative curves confirm that the initial rate of photooxidation is proportional to the concentration of polymer hydroperoxide species which are present in the material as a result of oxidation during processing. The removal of these by thermal treatment of the material in an inert atmosphere results in the appearance of an induction period in the photooxidative profile. The experimental results suggest that this method of determining and interpreting photooxidative curves has certain potential for assessing the relative photostabilities of polymeric formulations.     

Effect of chromium residues on the stability of gas-phase high-density polyethylene produced by supported catalysts

The thermo-oxidative stability of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) prepared by silica supported Ziegler-Natta, bis(triphenylsilyl)chromate and bis(cyclopentadienyl)-chromium(II) catalyst systems was examined by chemiluminescence (CL) techniques and thermogravimetric (TG) analysis. In particular, the technique of dynamic CL in nitrogen allows the concentration of polymer hydroperoxides and the relative stability of these to be simultaneously determined. Polymer hydroperoxides in Ziegler-Natta catalyzed HDPE are relatively stable because titanium and aluminum residues are poor pro-oxidants compared with chromium residues. HDPE produced by bis(cyclopentadienyl)chromium(II) has a low intrinsic thermo-oxidative stability due to the chromium-catalyzed conversion of polymer hydroperoxides into degradation products during thermal aging. Concentrations of residual chromium as low as 1 ppm can profoundly affect the oxidative stability of the polymer and exert a much greater influence than either the extent of branching or the degree of unsaturation. The appearance of the silica catalyst support before and after gas-phase polymerization was studied by scanning electron microscopy. During polymerization the silica support shatters and the resulting submicron fragments are dispersed throughout the polymer particles. On exposure of the nascent polymer to the atmosphere, bis(cyclopentadienyl)chromium(II) is converted to a trivalent chromium species which remains associated with the silica substrate. The presence of trivalent chromium in the poisoned chromium catalyst was confirmed by UV/visible spectrophotometry and the nature of the Cr(III) species was investigated by diffuse reflectance Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. The high surface area of the catalyst residue renders it a powerful pro-oxidant despite its low concentration. © 1992 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Colour changes in pigmented Nylon-6 systems containing copper iodide

The fading and colour changes in glass-filled polyamide formulations during ageing in water at 80 °C are reported. Formulations were stabilized with CuI and a UVA system and contained cobalt blue and phthalocyanine blue pigments. The results suggest that CuI causes an “aubergine” colour development in the absence of pigments whose origin is attributed to oxides and complexes of copper that are produced during thermal processing and degradation processes. Ageing in water causes dramatic fading along with a colour shift towards the green. This effect is attributed to leaching and/or hydrolysis of copper-containing species. It was found that an increase in CuI stabilizer produces an increased level of fading in un-pigmented samples. However, as the pigment loading is increased there is a concomitant reduction in the extent of fading and the extent of the green shift suggesting that pigments may mask ageing-induced colour changes in these systems. The susceptibility of phthalocyanine-pigmented polyamines to colour change is not adversely affected by CuI.     

Effect of thermal oxidation on the spherulitic morphology of high-density polyethylene

The supermolecular structure of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) at various stages of oxidation was studied using polarized optical microscopy and small-angle x-ray scattering (SAXS). Samples of HDPE crystallized isothermally at 123°C show a pronounced change in their spherulitic structure with progressive thermal oxidation. Polarized optical micrographs and SAXS data indicate that the average lamellar thickness decreases concomitantly with thermal treatment. Solid-state oxidative scission occurs preferentially at the chain folds where the polymer molecules are strained. This process increases the level of crystallinity of the polymer due to the more efficient packing of crystallites formed by the shorter cleaved chains. The morphological changes are related to the polymer melt flow index, molecular weight distribution, crystallinity and peak melting temperature. A model is proposed to account for the changes in the spherulitic morphology.