Kinetic thermal analytical study of saturated mono-, di- and tri-glycerides

A thermal degradation study using TG–DTG thermogravimetry was performed on three saturated fatty acids esterified with glycerol (i.e. glyceryl-tristearate (C₁₈), -tripalmitate (C₁₆) and -trimyristate (C₁₄)) at different heating rates. In addition, thermogravimetry (TG) and derivative thermogravimetry (DTG) of glyceryl di-stearate and glyceryl mono-stearate were also carried out at different heating rates. A deconvolution procedure applied to the first process and overlapping at least two steps between about 200 and 350 °C, enabled the activation energy of decomposition to be determined both by the Kissinger and the Ozawa–Flynn–Wall isoconversional methods for the deconvoluted steps of the above-mentioned fatty acids.     

THERMAL DEGRADATION KINETICS OF THERMOTROPIC COPOLY (P-OXYBENZOATE-ETHYLENE TEREPHTHALATE-VANILLATE) BY A HIGH-RESOLUTION THERMOGRAVIMETRY

Thermotropic liquid crystalline terpolymers consisting of three units of p-oxybenzoate (B), ethylene terephthalate (E), and vanillate (V), were studied through a high-resolution thermogravimetry to ascertain their thermostability and kinetics parameters of thermal decomposition in nitrogen and air. Overall activation energy data of the major decomposition have been calculated through four calculating techniques. The thermal degradation occurs in three steps in nitrogen, but in four steps in air due to an additional thermo-oxidative step. The thermal degradation temperatures are higher than 436°C in nitrogen and 424°C in air and increase with increasing B-unit content at a fixed V-unit content of 5 mol%. The temperatures at the first maximum weight-loss rate are higher than 444°C in nitrogen and 431°C in air and increase slightly with an increase in B-unit content. The first, second, and third maximum weight-loss rates almost maintain at 10–11, 10–11, and 3.6–5.3%/min regardless of copolymer composition and testing atmosphere. The char yields at 500°C in both nitrogen and air are larger than 40 wt% and increases with increasing B-unit content. But the char yields at 800°C in nitrogen and air are quite different, i.e., 18–25 wt% in nitrogen and 0 wt% in air. The activation energy and Ln (pre-exponential factor) for the major decomposition are higher in nitrogen than in air and decrease slightly with an increase in B-unit content at a given V-unit content 5 mol%. There is no regular variation in the decomposition order with the variation of copolymer composition and testing atmosphere. It is found that the most V-unit-containing terpolymer exhibited the lowest degradation temperature, lowest activation energy, and lowest Ln (pre-exponential factor). The activation energy, decomposition order, and Ln (pre-exponential factor) of the thermal degradation for the terpolymers, are situated in the ranges of 121–248 kJ/mol, 1.5–2.8, 19–38 min^?1, respectively. These results indicate that the terpolymers exhibit high thermostability. The isothermal decomposition kinetics of the terpolymer at 450°C have also been discussed and compared with the results obtained based non-isothermal high-resolution thermogravimetry.     

Thermal decomposition and kinetics studies on the 2,2-dinitropropyl acrylate–styrene copolymer and 2,2-dinitropropyl acrylate–vinyl acetate copolymer

In the present work, kinetics of thermal decomposition of 2,2-dinitropropyl acrylate–styrene copolymer (DNPA/St) and 2,2-dinitropropyl acrylate–vinyl acetate copolymer (DNPA/VAc) was investigated by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The influence of the heating rate (5, 10, 15, and 20 °C min^?1) on the DSC behavior of the copolymer was verified. The results showed that, as the heating rate was increased, decomposition temperature of the copolymer was increased. Also, the kinetic parameters such as activation energy and frequency factor of the copolymer were obtained from the DSC data by the isoconversional methods proposed by Kissinger–Akahira–Sunose (KAS) and Flynn–Wall–Ozawa (FWO). Average activation energy obtained by KAS and FWO methods for the thermal decomposition reaction of DNPA/St and DNPA/VAc are 157.38 ± 0.27 and 147.67 ± 0.57 kJ mol^?1, respectively. The rate constants for thermal decomposition calculated from the activation parameters showed the structural dependency. The relative stability of two copolymers under 50 °C was in this order: DNPA/St > DNPA/VAc. The results of thermogravimetry (TG) analysis revealed that the main mass changes for DNPA/St and DNPA/VAc occurred in the temperature ranges of 200–270 °C. The DSC-FTIR analysis of DNPA/St indicates that the band intensity of nitro and other groups increased haphazardly from 230 °C due to thermal decomposition.     

New Regional Editor

Thermal decomposition of an agrowaste, namely banana trunk fibers (BTF) were investigated by thermogravimetry (TG) and derivative thermogravimetry (DTG) up to 900 °C at different heating rates (from 5 to 100 °C/min). The BTF was subjected to modification by means of various known chemical methods (mercerization, acetylation, peroxide treatment, esterification, and sulfuric acid treatment). Various degradation models, such as the Kissinger, Friedman, and Flynn–Wall–Ozawa were used to determine the apparent activation energy. The obtained apparent activation energy values (149–210 kJ/mol) allow in developing a simplified approach to understand the thermal decomposition behavior of natural fibers as a function of polymer composite processing.     

对氯苯甲酸铕与邻菲咯啉络合物热分解动力学参数及寿命的测定

用TG-DTG技术研究了对氯苯甲酸铕与邻菲咯啉络合物在静态空气中的热分解,用Coats-Redfern(CR)法、Horowitz-Metzger(HM)法、Madhusudanan-Krishnan-NInan(MKN)法、Ozawa法和Kissinger法计算了对氯苯甲酸铕与邻菲咯啉络合物第一步热分解反应的动力学参数活化能（E）、指前因子（A）、反应级数（n)等。用等温TG法得到失重10%的E、A值和寿命方程：lnτ=-23.0189 17974.1/T。     

Kinetic investigation on thermal decomposition of organophosphorous compounds

In this paper, the thermal behaviours of two organophosphorous compounds, N,N-dimethyl-N′,N′-diphenylphosphorodihydrazidic (NDD) and diphenyl amidophosphate (DPA), were studied by thermogravimetery (TG), differential thermal analysis (DTA) and differential scanning calorimetery (DSC) techniques under non-isothermal conditions. The results showed that NDD melts about 185 °C before it decomposes. NDD decomposition occurs in two continuous steps, in the 190–410 °C temperature range. First thermal degradation stage for NDD results a broad exothermic peak in the DTA curve that is continued with a small exothermic peak at the end of decomposition process. On the other hand, applying TG-DTA techniques indicates that DPA melts about 150 °C before it decomposes. This compound decomposes in the temperature range of 230 to 330 °C in two steps. These steps are endothermic and exothermic, respectively. Activation energy and pre-exponential factor for the first step of decomposition of each compound were found by means of Kissinger method and were verified by Ozawa–Flynn–Wall method. Activation energy obtained by Kissinger method for the first stage of NDD and DPA decompositions are 138 and 170 KJ mol⁻¹, respectively. Finally, the thermodynamic parameters (ΔG ^#, ΔH ^# and ΔS ^#) for first step decomposition of investigated organophosphorous were determined.     

Thermal kinetic studies on the decompositions of cefuroxime lysine in different atmospheres and heating rates

The thermal decomposition of a new antibiotic agent, cefuroxime lysine, was investigated by thermogravimetry analysis/derivative thermogravimetry and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) methods in anoxic and oxidative environments. The influence of heating rates (including 5, 10, 15, and 20 °C/min) on the thermal behavior of cefuroxime lysine was revealed. By the methods of Kissinger and Flynn–Wall–Ozawa, the thermal kinetic parameters of activation energy and pre-exponential factor for the exothermic processes under non-isothermal conditions were calculated using the analysis of corresponding DSC curves.     

Thermal behavior of loratadine

Simultaneous thermogravimetry (TG) and differential thermal analysis (DTA) techniques were used for the characterization the thermal degradation of loratadine, ethyl-4-(8-chloro-5,6-dihydro-11H-benzo[5,6]cyclohepta[1,2-b]pyridin-11-ylidine)-1-piperidinecarboxylate. TG analysis revealed that the thermal decomposition occurs in one step in the 200–400°C range in nitrogen atmosphere. DTA and DSC curves showed that loratadine melts before the decomposition and the decomposition products are volatile in nitrogen. In air the decomposition follows very similar profile up to 300°C, but two exothermic events are observed in the 170–680°C temperature range. Flynn–Wall–Ozawa method was used for the solid-state kinetic analysis of loratadine thermal decomposition. The calculated activation energy (E _a) was 91±1 kJ mol^–1 for α between 0.02 and 0.2, where the mass loss is mainly due to the decomposition than to the evaporation of the decomposition products.     

Effect of neutralization and cross-linking on the thermal degradation of chitosan electrospun membranes

Thermal degradation of as-electrospun chitosan membranes and samples subsequently treated with ethanol and cross-linked with glutaraldehyde has been studied by thermogravimetry (TG) coupled with an infrared spectrometer. The influence of the electrospinning process and cross-linking in the electrospun chitosan thermal stability was evaluated. Up to three degradation steps were observed in the TG data, corresponding to water dehydration reaction at temperatures below 100 °C, loss of side groups formed between the amine groups of chitosan and trifluoroacetic acid between 150 and 270 °C and chitosan thermal degradation that starts around 250 °C and goes up to 400 °C. The Kissinger model was employed to evaluate the activation energies of the electrospun membranes during isothermal experiments and revealed that thermal degradation activation energy increases for the samples processed by electrospinning and subsequent neutralization and cross-linking treatments with respect to the neat chitosan powder.     

Kinetic analysis of co-pyrolysis of cellulose and polypropylene

The present research work focuses on understanding the kinetics and mechanism of co-pyrolysis of cellulose, a major constituent of biomass, and polypropylene (PP) that is abundantly present in waste plastics. Co-pyrolysis of cellulose and PP of different compositions, viz., 100:0, 80:20, 60:40, 40:60, 20:80, and 0:100 (mass%/mass%), was carried out in a thermogravimetric analyzer at various heating rates from 5 to 180 K min^?1. The kinetics of slow to medium heating rate pyrolysis was analyzed using first Kissinger and Kissinger–Akahira–Sunose techniques. Cellulose and PP decomposition occurred in two distinct temperature regimes, viz., 575–650 and 675–775 K, respectively. However, apparent activation energies of thermal decomposition of the mixtures clearly indicated the presence of interaction between cellulose and PP. The presence of cellulose in the mixture decreased the apparent activation energy of PP decomposition from 210 to 120 kJ mol^?1, while the presence of PP did not affect the apparent activation energy of cellulose decomposition (E _a = 158 ± 3 kJ mol^?1). A significant decrease in apparent activation energy was observed in the conversion regime corresponding to the completion of cellulose pyrolysis and beginning of PP pyrolysis. Differential scanning calorimetry data clearly showed the shift of exothermic char formation to higher temperatures with PP incorporation in the mixture. The presence of PP also resulted in reduction of final char content. Based on the above analyses, a new interaction step that involves a bimolecular reaction of activated PP with volatiles from cellulose pyrolysis to form interaction products and char is proposed, and the rate limiting steps for char formation are clearly identified.     

Thermal degradation and flame retardancy of epoxy resins containing intumescent flame retardant

Pentaerythritol diphosphonate melamine-urea-formaldehyde resin salt, a novel cheap macromolecular intumescent flame retardants (IFR), was synthesized, and its structure was a caged bicyclic macromolecule containing phosphorus characterized by IR. Epoxy resins (EP) were modified with IFR to get the flame retardant EP, whose flammability and burning behavior were characterized by UL 94 and limiting oxygen index (LOI). 25 mass% of IFR were doped into EP to get 27.2 of LOI and UL 94 V-0. The thermal properties of epoxy resins containing IFR were investigated with thermogravimetry (TG) and differential thermogravimetry (DTG). Activation energy for the decomposition of samples was obtained using Kissinger equation. The resultant data show that for EP containing IFR, compared with EP, IFR decreased mass loss, thermal stability and R _max, increased the char yield. The activation energy for the decomposition of EP is 230.4 kJ mol⁻¹ while it becomes 193.8 kJ mol⁻¹ for EP containing IFR, decreased by 36.6 kJ mol⁻¹, which shows that IFR can catalyze decomposition and carbonization of EP.     

Characteristics and kinetics analysis of Codonopsis pilosula pyrolysis

Eight kinds of Radix Codonopsis (RC) from different origins in China were selected as the experimental samples fort his study. Their pyrolysis processes were researched by the method of thermogravimetry analysis, in which the heating course was set in the ways of programming temperature from room temperature to 500 °C at different heating rates. Research results show that the process in the heating period of RC includes three stages: water loss, fast pyrolysis, and medium rate decomposition. For cultivated RC, the average initial decomposition temperature in the fast pyrolysis stage is 115 °C, whereas the peak temperature of the fast pyrolysis stage is changed from 189 to 225 °C, in which stage the alcohol-soluble substances are mainly decomposed. It is required to control the operational temperatures of drying and concocting processes according to initial decomposition temperature. Kissinger–Akahira–Sunose model can be used to describe the process mechanism of RC pyrolysis, and the kinetic analyses based on the fast pyrolysis stage thermogravimetric data show that the activation energies change from 141 to 207 kJ mol^?1 for cultivated RC samples and 122 to 131 kJ mol^?1for wild RC samples. The alcohol-soluble extract (ASE) content of wild RC samples is lower than that of cultivated RC samples; their thermal stability is also relatively poor.     

A kinetic study on the thermal behaviour of chitosan

The thermal behaviour of chitosan was studied by means of thermogravimetry, mass spectrometry and infrared spectrometry. Kinetic parameters were obtained by advanced kinetic evaluation (differential isoconversional analysis) from DSC curves, in non-isothermal conditions, at several heating rates, between 5 and 30°C min⁻¹. The results showed that the decomposition of chitosan does not follow a single mechanism because both the activation energy and the pre-exponential factor are not constant during the course of the reaction. A comparison with the results obtained by applying different conventional calculating methods is also shown.     

Kinetic study of the polymeric binder burnout in green low temperature co-fired ceramic tapes

The binder decomposition and burnout process of a commercial low temperature co-fired ceramic (LTCC) tape and an alumina tape which is used as a sacrificial tape for the constrained sintering process of the LTCC-tape was investigated by thermogravimetry (TG) and derivative thermogravimetry (DTG) up to 550 °C at different heating rates (from 1.5 to 10 K min⁻¹) in air. TG revealed a multistage degradation behaviour of the binder system for both tapes, but the temperature range of the different degradation stages varied. The activation energy of decomposition was determined by the Flynn–Wall isoconversional method and the Coats–Redfern method.     

Effect of the catalyst MCM-41 on the kinetic of the thermal decomposition of poly(ethylene terephthalate)

The aim of this work is to determine the activation energy for the thermal decomposition of poly(ethylene terephthalate)—PET, in the presence of a MCM-41 mesoporous catalyst. This material was synthesized by the hydrothermal method, using cetyltrimethylammonium as template. The PET sample has been submitted to thermal degradation alone and in presence of MCM-41 catalyst at a concentration of 25% in mass (MCM-41/PET). The degradation process was evaluated by thermogravimetry, at temperature range from 350 to 500 °C, under nitrogen atmosphere, with heating rates of 5, 10 and 25 °C min^?1. From TG, the activation energy, determined using the Flynn–Wall kinetic method, decreased from 231 kJ mol^?1, for the pure polymer (PET), to 195 kJ mol^?1, in the presence of the material (MCM-41/PET), showing the catalyst efficiency for the polymer decomposition process.     

Study of the Thermal Stability Properties of Pyridoxine Using Thermogravimetric Analysis

The thermal decomposition behavior and kinetics of pyridoxine in nitrogen-only and air atmospheres were studied using thermogravimetry analysis (TGA). Kinetic interpretation of thermal analysis data for pyridoxine decomposition was carried out using Ozawa and ASTM E698 isoconversional methods. The activation energy of the decomposition process varied with the degree of decomposition and was different in the nitrogen and air atmospheres. At a 5% decomposition level, the activation energy and the pre-exponential factor were found to be 28.3 kcal mol^?1 and 1.2 × 10¹⁴ min^?1, respectively, in the nitrogen-only atmosphere. Thermal stability was determined by calculating the time for 5% of the pyridoxine vitamer to decompose at 25°C. The calculated shelf life for the pyridoxine vitamer obtained via TGA was surprisingly smaller in nitrogen (0.9 years) than in air (1.5 years). This is speculated to be the result of a more complex decomposition mechanism in air, involving thermo-oxidative decomposition in the presence of oxygen.     

Preparation of nano poly(phenylsilsesquioxane) spheres and the influence of nano-PPSQ on the thermal stability of poly(methyl methacrylate)

The nano poly(phenylsilsesquioxane) spheres (nano-PPSQ) were prepared by the sol?Cgel method and incorporated into poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) by in situ bulk polymerization of methyl methacrylate. The structure of nano-PPSQ was confirmed by transmission electron microscope and thermogravimetry analysis (TG). The interaction between nano-PPSQ and PMMA was investigated by Fourier transform infrared spectra (FT-IR). The influence of nano-PPSQ on the thermal stability of PMMA was investigated by TG and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) measurements. The results indicated that nano-PPSQ enhanced the thermal stability and the temperatures of glass transition (T _g) of nanocomposites. The effect of the heating rate in dynamic measurements (5?C30?°C?min^?1) on kinetic parameters such as activation energy by TG both in nitrogen and air was investigated. The Kissinger method was used to determine the apparent activation energy for the degradation of pure PMMA and nanocomposites. The kinetic results showed that the apparent activation energy for degradation of nanocomposites was higher than that of pure PMMA under air.     

Determination of the Thermal Degradation Kinetic Parameters of Carbon Fibre Reinforced Epoxy Using TG

In this work, a kinetic study on the thermal degradation of carbon fibre reinforced epoxy is presented. The degradation is investigated by means of dynamic thermogravimetric analysis (TG) in air and inert atmosphere at heating rates from 0.5 to 20°C min⁻¹ . Curves obtained by TG in air are quite different from those obtained in nitrogen. A three-step loss is observed during dynamic TG in air while mass loss proceeded as a two step process in nitrogen at fast heating rate. To elucidate this difference, a kinetic analysis is carried on. A kinetic model described by the Kissinger method or by the Ozawa method gives the kinetic parameters of the composite decomposition. Apparent activation energy calculated by Kissinger method in oxidative atmosphere for each step is between 40–50 kJ mol⁻¹ upper than E _a calculated in inert atmosphere. The thermo-oxidative degradation illustrated by Ozawa method shows a stable apparent activation energy (E _a ≈130 kJ mol⁻¹ ) even though the thermal degradation in nitrogen flow presents a maximum E _a for 15% mass loss (E _a ≈60 kJ mol⁻¹ ). This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

The effect of crystal structure on the thermal reactivity of CL-20 and its C4 bonded explosives (I): thermodynamic properties and decomposition kinetics

The crystal structure, thermal behavior, and decomposition kinetics of ε-CL-20, RS-ε-CL-20, α-CL-20, ε-CL-20/C4, and RS-ε-CL-20/C4 were investigated by nonisothermal FTIR, TG, and DSC techniques. It was found that the thermal decomposition of α-CL-20, ε-CL-20/C4, and RS-ε-CL-20/C4 could be considered as a two-step process and the initial step is partly controlled by crystal structure. However, the crystal structure could only affect the initial step of decomposition and the total heat release, and the heat release of RS-ε-CL-20 is the highest compared with α- and normal ε-CL-20. In addition, the activation energy of studied materials was calculated by Kissinger method and modified KAS method, which was compared with the results obtained by other researchers. It was indicated that the obtained activation energy of ε-CL-20 by Kissinger method is about 176.0 kJ mol^?1, which is almost the same with the results from the literatures by STABIL and Noniso-TG methods. It was noticed that the crystal structure has significant effect on the initial activation energy distribution of CL-20, while in case of second stage (α = 0.30–0.85) this effect is relatively small, resulting in identical decomposition mechanism. Moreover, the kinetic compensation effects show that the studied materials could be divided into two groups, one including ε-CL-20, RS-ε-CL-20, α-CL-20, and ε-CL-20/C4 which decompose at solid state and another including ε-CL-20/Formex and RS-ε-CL-20/C4 which decompose at partial liquid state, resulting in different kinetic compensation effects. It reveals that the C4 base could affect the distribution of activation energy of ε-CL-20 and RS-ε-CL-20 in a totally different way.     

Synthesis and kinetic study on the thermal degradation of triblock copolymer of polycaprolactone‐poly (glycidyl nitrate)‐polycaprolactone (PCL‐PGN‐PCL) as an energetic binder

In this study, an energetic binder is synthesized via ring opening copolymerization of ε‐caprolactone with poly (glycidyl nitrate) (PGN) of low molecular weight (M_n = 1350 g mol^?1) as a macroinitiator to form triblock copolymer polycaprolactone‐PGN‐polycaprolactone (PCL‐PGN‐PCL) (M_n = 4128 g mol^?1). The effects of catalyst type and its concentration, reaction time, and solvent are investigated in this polymerization reaction. The resulting triblock copolymer is characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT‐IR), nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR), gel permeation chromatography (GPC), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA). The DSC result shows that the glass transition temperature of triblock copolymer (T_g = ?50°C) is lower than PGN (T_g = ?35°C). Also, the decomposition kinetics of this energetic binder is studied by DSC, TGA, and its derivative (DTG). An advanced isoconversional method is applied for kinetic analysis. Activation energy is calculated by Flynn‐Wall‐Ozawa (FWO) and Kissinger methods. The resulting activation energy from Kissinger method for the first and the second steps are 42.98 and 74.56 kJ mol^?1, respectively. Also, it is found from FWO results that the activation energy for the copolymer increases with degradation degree (α).